


The Shattered Soul

by Skyleaf19



Series: The Weight of Both Worlds [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Changes to RWBY Canon, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-04-20 15:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14264493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyleaf19/pseuds/Skyleaf19
Summary: After the battle of Beacon, a disheartened Canada and his remaining friends head to Mistral to find information about Cinder's faction, and hopefully a missing America. Meanwhile, an amnesiac Alfred flees through Anima, unaware that those he is running from are friends… and those he is running with are anything but.





	1. Alfred

_America was dying._

_As a nation, he had never truly_ _**died** _ _, but he knew what it felt like. Shocking pain, bitter cold, dwindling senses, and then…_

_Darkness._

_Unlike the usual emptiness that accompanied a nation's version of 'death', however, he was far from unaware and alone. Someone— Something?— was with him. Bright green light surrounded him, a color that was usually kind and calming and warm, like a sun-kissed field of emerald grass. But not now. Vale had no interest in serenely existing. It wanted to live on, to be._

_And so Vale needed him dead._

_The Kingdom's Aura surrounded him, crushed him, drove its tendril-like essence into him, attacking attacking_ _**attacking** _ _in an attempt to smother the personification of the United States of America. It would retreat— giving him hope for a chance to breathe— but it rushed right back, stabbing and breaking and ripping through him as it tore him apart from the inside._

_America could be screaming. He could be begging. He could be laughing madly as his sanity crumbled and his soul was crushed to glittering shards. Vale had no mercy for its new host, determined to squash any resistance that could threaten it. It did not understand that he had no intention of absorbing it, the thought never even crossing his mind, only brutalizing and torturing him in the hopes that it would be the sole survivor._

_America could not let that happen. He could not allow Vale to overcome him and risk the safety of his people back on Earth. So he fought back, focusing on himself, on what made him America and Alfred as he tried to force the invading presence out. Vale sensed his resistance and tightened its hold on him, its presence like a clawed hand squeezing his heart and throat as it invaded him pressingrippinghurtingcrushing._

_**Succumb** _ _, Vale demanded— angry, desperate, afraid— as it impaled his soul._ _**Yield** _ _._

_America refused. He knew Vale was scared. He understood. But he would not sacrifice his existence for it— her. He was the United States of America, not a host or a sacrifice. He would_ _**not** _ _fall. He would survive. For his brothers, for his people, for his friends, and for himself._

_Vale did not care. Vale could not care. After so much suffering and sorrow and betrayal, all it wanted was to_ _**survive** _ _. It did not comprehend that it and America could both exist if they compromised, instead trying to force him into submission and extinguish him like a small flame._

_Red-hot spears stabbed through America's soul, trying to weaken him before striking the fatal blow. It was enough to erase everything except the pain from his mind, but his voiceless screams did nothing to make Vale waver. The other nation kept impaling and smothering and hurting him, forcing itself deeper as it tried to tear him apart and erase him. He could feel Vale around him and inside him and if America had the ability to cry he would._

_But he fought. He endured. Because he had to._

_He had to._

_He_ _**had to—** _

_The pain became too much and America faltered. His defense wavered. And Vale pounced. The other nation gripped his soul and draining the energy from him almost lovingly. It thanked him for his sacrifice genuinely, telling him it would make sure to stop those that caused all this. America could feel himself fading, growing weaker as Vale took over, and in desperation, he called out her name._

" _ **Amber**_ **, please!** _"_

_Vale stopped and pulled back. Her hesitation was enough for America to hold on, clinging to life by his fingertips as his soul threatened to cease. Vale's Aura twitched, but she did not try to crush or invade him again, instead circling him vaguely. America prayed she would stop long enough to listen._

" _We don't have to kill each other." America told her. "We can both exist together."_

_With less of a clear consciousness than he, Vale could not truly reply. Instead he felt general emotions from her, jabbing at his mind and soul like dull, hot knives. Fear, sorrow, anger, hurt, distress. She was uncertain about what was going to happen. She did not want to disappear or change._

" _I don't either." He admitted. "But we don't have a choice. Neither of us do. But… we don't have to be enemies, or sacrifice one of us so the other can live. We both want to protect our people so we should be working together."_

_He thought of his people back on Earth. Of their hopes and dreams and joy. He thought of busy cities, emerald forests, and warm beaches, all thriving with life. Vale shared similar sentiments, but her people were also haunted by the constant threat of the Grimm._

" _They'll survive. We will too." Everything hurt and his aching soul shuddered but he encouraged her anyway. "We're the heroes, after all!"_

_America could sense he was getting through to her. She wanted to be ruthless like Atlas and exterminate him but Vale was a kinder Kingdom by nature, and truly did not want to sacrifice him for her own survival. They both knew the best option they had left, and although both were afraid, their fear echoing off each other in a loop, they would do what was best for their people— all of them._

_Vale surrounded America, skirting on the edge of his soul questioningly. America knew that she was ready, but she was waiting for him. He thought of Canada and his gentle nature. He thought of England and his blunt way of showing he cared. He thought of the other nations, his friends, and his past, thinking of everything that made him America. Not giving himself time to back out, he mentally prepared himself and tried to send the image of a smile._

" _I'm ready."_

_They both fell back._

_They both gave in._

_Vale closed around him, gently merging her Aura and soul with his…_

_And everything went white._

XXXXXXX

The first thing he knew was pain.

One moment, there was nothing. The next, everything ached. If his breath did not catch in his throat from the shock of it, he would have cried out. As it was, he could barely utter a small gasping sound. Yet as quickly as the pain popped into existence, a majority of it fled, allowing him to feel sensations other than lances of agony that struck through his body, primarily his head. He was laying on something cold and hard. Not the most comfortable place, but it was better than the pain he had woken to.

He did not recall how he had gotten there.

In fact, he did not recall anything at all.

Trying not to panic at his complete lack of memory, he opened his eyes, cringing as light pierced his retinas. He saw three faces. Three faces, green trees, and the bright blue sky. He blinked at them, vision struggling to adjust, and slowly the faces' features came into focus. Two boys and a girl were above him, and they were quite the unique-looking bunch. At least, they  _felt_  unique. He… could not think of anyone to compare them to.

Everything prior to this point was a complete blank.

He tried to breathe slowly, to keep the panic off his face, and that had to be an instinctive reaction, right? He hid his pain. That's what he did. That was a part of who he was. It had to be. He needed it to be. Because if he did not even have instincts he was left with  _nothing_.

The three were still looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to comprehend his surroundings and say something most likely. Not wanting to disappoint, he did.

"W-Who are you?" He glanced around nervously. "W-Where am I?"

There was a pause.

Then the grey-haired teen laughed. "Funny, Al. You can stop pretending."

He stared at the teen, trying and failing to hide his bewilderment and fear. Guilt joined the mess of emotions pooling in his stomach as he watched the smile slide from the teen's face.

"Al, seriously. You can stop." The grey-haired teen pleaded.

He could not hide his dismay at the teen's obvious distress, hands twitching towards him before he withdrew them, pressing them defensively against his chest. His awareness of the huge blank in his mind was creeping back, bringing panic with it— there was nothing there nothing at all nothing nothing  _nothing_ — and he just needed  _something_  to cling to.

"I'm not… Please…" His gaze sought the orange-haired man in front of him, desperate for answers. "I don't r-remember  _anything_. Who am I?"

The man blinked like he was startled about being addressed, but he smiled gently. "Your name is Alfred. And you're our  _friend_."

Alfred. His name was Alfred. That… felt right. But also wrong. He did not want to share his thoughts with them, unwilling to bring back the shock and hurt that the grey-haired teen had displayed. A teen that was apparently his friend. No wonder he was so upset.

"I'm sorry." Alfred apologized. "I don't remember you."

"That's okay." The grey-haired teen said instantly. "We suspected as much after…" he trailed off, switching subjects. "I'm Mercury. This is Neo and Roman."

Roman nodded at him, arms crossed and cane held casually in one hand. Neo smirked and waved. Mercury looked at Alfred hopefully, like he expected the words alone to jog his memory. Alfred could not meet his eyes, instead looking down at his hands.

"I…"

In the woods, a twig snapped.

Neo, Roman, and Mercury spun towards the sound and tensed, hands on their weapons. Alfred unknowingly did the same, not realizing he was holding something until he registered the feeling of cold metal against his fingers. He glanced down at the blue baseball bat, perplexed but oddly at ease. The bat felt natural in his hands, like he was used to it. It felt  _right_  and he knew that if he had to, he could fight with it. For some reason that relieved him more than he could say.

"We need to get moving." Roman said. "I personally don't want to stay here and become Grimm-chow."

Alfred winced as pain flared through his head. Vague information floated to the forefront of his mind before neatly clicking in place and he beamed. Grimm were creatures of destruction that lacked a soul, the monstrous enemy of mankind that were attracted to negative emotions. He could name each type, their habits, their strengths, and their weaknesses— in a rather clinical manner, mind you, but it was something. He  _remembered_  something.

"I know what a Grimm is!" he blurted excitedly.

The three stared at him, then Roman snorted, a low, undignified sound.

"Good for you, Blue." The man choked, and continued to laugh at his childish proclamation.

Alfred turned crimson and looked down, fingers tightening around his baseball bat. Embarrassment was soon cast aside by surprise, and his lips quirked at the nickname.

 _We must have been close before I…_ Alfred focused on the different facts about Grimm he remembered, determined not to despair about all the memories he had lost.

Mercury eyed him thoughtfully, head slightly tipped. "So everything's not completely gone." he murmured. "It might come back."

Was it Alfred's imagination or did he sound worried? Alfred could only think of one reason he would react like that and it was not good. But why would Mercury not want him to remember? His thoughts were interrupted by Neo, who nudged him with her umbrella and pointed ahead. When Alfred failed to move, she rolled her mismatched eyes and poked him again. He dodged her next jab with a soft laugh.

"Okay, I get it. We're moving."

She smirked at him and winked a brown eye that turned pink. As Alfred watched, her left iris turned brown again, then returned to the lighter hue. So they changed colors. Weird. Though Alfred should not be one to talk. After all, he might have weird eyes too.

 _I don't know what I look like._  His amusement faded and he frowned at his tan hands. "Do… any of you have a mirror?"

"No." Roman grunted, sounding deeply offended by that fact. "We have to skip town pretty quickly."

"Why? Did something happen?" Alfred asked.

Roman went to speak but Mercury put a hand on his arm, sending him a warning look. "Let me explain." The grey-haired teen turned to Alfred. "We're…  _running_." Mercury spat the word like it pained him to admit it. "Some pretty bad people are after y— us."

Alfred caught the slip and felt a chill. Bad people wanted to hurt him? He rubbed his arms to try to warm himself. "Why do they want with us?"  _With me?_

Mercury and Neo exchanged a meaningful glance before looking away from each other. "Let's just say…They're the reason you lost your memory." The grey-haired teen said vaguely. "We got you out of there but they're still pursuing us. That's why we're headed to Kuchinashi, a city south of Mistral. We can hide out and regroup there."

So he was being hunted. Alfred's skin crawled at the thought. He could tell that Mercury was not telling him everything, though he was not sure he wanted to know the whole story. He glanced at the surrounding trees uncomfortably, half-expecting someone to pop out of the woods and attack them.

Perhaps spotting his unease, Neo tapped his arm, making him jump. She rolled her eyes and grasped his hand, pulling him through the woods. Before Alfred could think to ask where they were going, she stopped, pointing at a small pool of water. He blinked in surprise, then nodded at her.

"Thanks." The word came out oddly breathy. How strange. It wasn't like he was nervous or anything. Not at all.

He heard Roman and Mercury come up behind him but did not turn or approach the pool, uncertain. He was about to see his own face but… what if he did not recognize it? What kind of person did not recognize themselves?

Alfred gathered his courage and stepped forward, kneeling next to the pool. He slowly dragged his gaze to his reflection. Blond hair. Tan skin. One blue eye. One green. A face so familiar… but so unrecognizable. Alfred brushed a hand through his messy hair and the reflection copied him. That… was him. Alfred.

Why did his throat feel so tight?

Alfred stood and cleared his throat. "So that's what I look like. Nice to know."

"Agreed." Roman said with upmost sarcasm. "Now if you're done admiring yourself, can we get moving? I'd love to sleep in an actual  _bed_  tonight."

"You know why we can't." Mercury said, his exasperated tone suggesting they had this conversation before. "Though Neo can go into town and get more supplies."

Neo eyed him before shrugging and nodding amicably.

"Could I go with her?" Alfred asked.

" _No_." Roman said quickly.

Alfred flinched, startled by his immediate refusal.

Mercury put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Sorry, but you could be recognized. Neo can change her appearance and blend in. We can't. If we went into town, we'd leave a trail our pursuers could follow."

That made sense. Alfred reluctantly agreed. "I… guess."

"Good." The grey-haired teen smiled. "I know you're confused, but listen to us and you'll be fine. They… They won't find you. They won't get you back." His eyes darkened. "I  _promise_."

XXXXXXX

"Are you sure about this?"

Canada hoisted his backpack higher on his back, checking the straps for what felt like the hundredth time. Once he was certain it was secure, he turned back to Italy, smiling a little.

"Yes, I'm sure. We need answers."

"We  _need_  to find Alfred." England growled, arms crossed.

"And Mistral is our best bet." Canada said firmly, unwilling to go through the same arguments with the Brit.

England did not truly understand why they were headed to Mistral of all cities, though Canada had tried to explain that and of any places America might go to, Mistral was it. Atlas and Vacuo were out of the question due to geography— also known as scorching deserts and endless snow— and tension— in the case of the northern Kingdom— so if America was not in Vale, Qrow hinted he might be instinctively heading across Anima. And if he had indeed been captured by their enemies like Canada secretly feared… At the very least, Cinder had contacts there they could interrogate.

Either way, England already had supplies packed to go, as did the others. Ruby was waiting outside for Team JNPR— and to make sure Taiyang was not returning yet— so there was no time for dawdling. That did not stop Italy from dragging his heels.

"Do we  _all_  need to go?" the Italian asked nervously. "We're going to be in Grimm territory."

"Not for long." Canada reminded him. "Al and I saved enough for airship tickets. Once we get to the mainland we have enough to fly to Anima."

It would take nearly all of their saved Lien to buy the tickets but time was of the essence. Canada did not want to spend weeks walking through Sanus. They might have to do enough of that on Anima, and it had already been four weeks since Beacon's fall. Besides, the twins had saved the money for this very purpose in case they needed to get out of town. They just had not expected to need it for so many people.

_If we find Al, it'll be worth it._

Italy looked unconvinced. "B-But I—"

"Bloody hell!" England growled, making the Italian yelp. "We can't risk splitting up so you're coming with us. Understand?"

Italy wilted. Canada shot the Brit a disapproving look but said nothing. England was understandably high-strung— as he had been ever since America disappeared— but he did not need to take it out on the pasta-loving nation. Canada kept his displeasure to himself though. He did not want to get into another argument with the angry nation. That would only waste time.

"Ve~… I just do not think I will be much help out there." Italy mumbled, obviously uncomfortable.

"You will be fine as long as you are with us." Germany reassured him. "We can handle a few Grimm."

Italy relaxed at his words, though Canada could see he was still nervous. He could not blame the Italian. Outside of the Kingdoms, Remnant was a scary place. Towns were built as quickly as they fell, bandits pillaged villages and led the Grimm straight to them, and there were plenty of other issues they could run into with no way of getting help. But they would be fine. They should be able to fight off any enemies.

_Though if they all had their Auras unlocked, it would be even less of a problem._

Canada did not dare voice his thought. He knew it was shady and that they were allies, but that was the problem. They were  _allies_ , not inseparable friends. The alignments of their world could easily shift and the nations could be enemies someday. He knew it was unlikely but he could not do it. He could not give them a weapon that might give them an advantage like that.

The only exception he had made was for England, whose bright red Aura he had unlocked yesterday. That left the Brit, Prussia, France, and himself with unlocked Auras. Russia, Japan, Italy, and Germany were left without. He tried not to feel guilty about it and was succeeding so far… when he did not let himself think about it. Sometimes he wished things were not so complicated, and focusing solely on their mission was a good enough substitute to that desire.

The nations walked out of the house and to Team JNPR and Ruby, who looked at them determinedly with her good eye. The other was hidden beneath a black eye patch the girl was still getting used to. She'd spent the past few weeks getting used to her new blind spot, though not without bumping into more than a few doorjambs and tables. She took it all in stride, staying surprisingly cheerful despite her injury.

 _Or she's not dealing with it at all and is clamping down on her grief…_ Canada shook himself. It was time to get going, not psychoanalyze his friend.

"Are you ready?" Ruby asked.

"As we'll ever be." Canada replied. He looked to Pyrrha, who he knew still had bandages around her left shoulder from where Cinder had shot her. "Are you sure you're okay to travel?"

"I am." She promised. "You do not need to worry about me."

She subtly glanced at Jaune, who had been hovering beside her. The knight blushed and stepped back, giving her space. Canada did not blame him for his caution. He had nearly lost his partner. Of course he would be a bit overprotective afterward.

Ruby brushed her dark hair out of her face, nodding firmly. "Then let's get started."


	2. Deception

_Like taking candy from a baby._

Neo carefully kept her smirk off her face as she skipped behind 'Alfred', keeping her expression neutral if slightly bored. They were walking, which was a rather boring pastime, so if she started smirking sadistically at seemingly nothing, even the clueless amnesiac would question her intentions. If he did question her, it would not be hard to lie to him, but she did not feel like putting in the effort. The ease in which they had deceived the teen was hilarious, but she was not surprised.

From the moment Neo had seen Vale's Aura hit the boy, she knew what was going to happen. As logic dictated, no mere human could get through having a Kingdom's Aura transferred to them with their sense of self intact. It was obvious the nation would overwhelm the mortal's previous memories and soul, just like what happened when a reincarnated nation remembered who they were for the first time. The human did not matter, only the Kingdom. The personification of Mistral knew that perfectly well firsthand.

Yet even with her insight, Neo had been unable to predict the entire situation. She had expected Vale to wake up to a familiar ' _friendly_ ' face in her fellow representative, though she supposed that complete amnesia was even better than that. 'Alfred F. Jones' had nothing but basic instincts to fall back to, relying on others for information.

And so the new Vale saw her as a  _good friend_.

Neo giggled silently, more than a little amused by the situation. It was just so  _wonderful_. Vale, arguably the strongest and most influential of the Kingdom's, was  _hers_  to control and manipulate. Well,  _theirs_  if she wanted get technical, but Roman and Mercury were not as privy to the full situation as she.

It had been easy to get the assassin on her side, even with his ignorance. All it had taken was a short message about how 'He is the one with the power Cinder wanted.' and Mercury was under her thumb, ready to do anything that gave him a chance to survive. He did not know enough to be a true threat to Cinder's order, but he knew too much to be left alive, and he was brutally aware of that fact. With Cinder's death, he was left in a precarious position, and it was funny to watch him flounder like a crippled baby chick. Still, she rather liked Mercury and his sarcastic mannerisms so he could tag along as long as she desired.

It was better him than Emerald. If the green-haired bitch had been the one with Roman when she found them, Mistral would've stabbed that aggravating thief in the face. The street rat was so loyal to Cinder it was  _sickening_ , her desperation to follow the fire-bitch's orders so boring and less amusing than Roman and Mercury's 'loyalty' out of necessity.

Neo had only complied with Cinder's demands because the orange-haired criminal asked for her help. She did not care about the fire-bitch's goals. She just wanted to do what she desired and have a good time. Plus it was fun to mess with Vale, the arrogant prick.

And now Mistral got to do it even more personally, face to face with the Kingdom himself...

Neo launched herself at Vale, leaping onto his back. The amnesiac yelped, staggering forward, and rolled his green and blue eyes.

"Jeez, Neo. If you wanted a ride you could just ask."

Neo smiled sweetly at him, umbrella gripped in one hand while the other traced patterns on his shoulder. She could slit his throat right now or stab him through the spine. He would never see it coming. Or she could tug on his arm, have him set her down and face her, then impale him through the stomach just to see the shock and betrayal on his face. She could picture it so clearly, those blue and green eyes wide with pain and fear before the life fled them. It was oh so tempting to kill him now just to witness that fleeting moment of pure misery…

But then Vale would reincarnate and she would not have someone to play with. She wouldn't be able to make him  _suffer_  for what his past life did. Jones was in the best state possible for her newest game. He had the capacity of an adult but the ignorance of a child, blindly trusting and unused to the cruelty of the world.

Mistral could not  _wait_  to see what she could do to him.

For now though, Neo could take advantage of him and rest her feet. They had carried his comatose body through the woods for miles so he could return the favor by carrying her. It was also so  _funny_  that she was using the proud representative of Vale as a glorified pony while he remained oblivious.

The new cheerful and naïve personality he had adopted was even funnier considering what he truly was. The nation of Vale was currently a cute, ignorant, happy little idiot. Mistral had to make sure she was there when reality hit him and he was  _crushed_.

"So when are we going to reach the next town?" Vale asked.

"It's in a couple miles." Mercury replied, looking at the map Neo had 'borrowed' from the last village. "The place's called 'Hee-gahn-banna' or something."

Vale twitched, nose wrinkling with distaste. "It's pronounced 'Higanbana'. No need to murder the name, dude."

Mercury huffed, glowering as his fragile male pride smarted. "Like  _you_  know how to say it."

Vale chuckled, misreading the depth of the assassin's ire. How cute. "As a matter of fact, I  _do_." He crowed. "I learned from… from…" He trailed off, and Neo took a moment to bask in the vulnerable confusion that flashed across his face. He couldn't remember who taught him the proper pronunciation. How  _tragic._

Mercury did not ask for him to continue, either because he did not care or saw poor Vale's distress— Oh, who was Neo kidding? The assassin did not give a damn about his leverage's misery. Unless said misery started to attract Grimm, of course. Instead Mercury looked at Roman. "Whatever. Think we can stop there?"

Neo shook her head before Roman could answer. That was the thing about travelling with a renowned criminal. Roman's face was known everywhere, and for all they knew he could be the one they blamed for the attack on Beacon. They had not exactly been able to watch the news lately to find out who was playing scapegoat. All Neo knew was that Vale the city still stood. Otherwise  _poor_  Alfie would be  _very_  sick or dead. If he started screaming and coughing up blood she'd have to work hard to refrain from laughing.

"But  _Neo_ , I want to sleep in a bed." Roman complained. "A nice bed. With a pillow. And blankets. And a roof. Out of the  _stupid_  rain."

He gestured at the cloudy sky for emphasis, the very image of irritation.

Vale chuckled. "You don't like the great outdoors much, do you?"

"No, I  _don't_." Roman growled. "I like  _civilization_. With bathrooms and beds and no damn  _dirt_." He pulled at his ruined white suit angrily, leaving behind more indents and smudges. "Back in Vale I had  _everything_. Money, fame, power, the whole city at my feet—"

Mercury snorted. "Keep telling yourself that, Roman."

The criminal glared at him, and while it might seem like lighthearted ribbing between friends to outsiders— like innocent little Vale—Neo saw the utter  _loathing_  in his expression. She hoped that he and Mercury would keep their 'friendly' rivalry in check and let her keep playing the game. Otherwise she would have to kill them, and that would be a shame. Roman was fun and did not care how many laws she broke and Mercury was interesting. She'd hate to have to find new humans to play with.

It would also be irritating to have Vale fear her too early. She wanted to mess with him some more before making him tremble in terror, crawling on the ground with his lifeblood trailing behind him as he feebly tried to get away from her sword. She'd stalk him, just out of reach, letting him hope that he had some sliver of a chance of escaping before delivering the final blow...

Neo brushed a hand through Vale's hair, making him yelp. She smirked and did it again, pretending to be combing the blond locks instead of petting his soft locks. Soft and sunny and golden and untarnished. Just like him.

For now.

The amnesiac did not appreciate her attempts to groom him. "Hey! Stop that. It's not that messy." He complained.

"It is." Mercury denied. "And it's dirty."

That was not strictly true. Compared to Roman and Mercury's hair, Vale's was practically shining. It was obvious even to an idiot like him. Apparently the amnesiac was too nice to mention that flat out. How adorable.

"Yours isn't much better, you know." Vale muttered as if there was a comparison.

The assassin's eyes narrowed but he shrugged. "True. We all need showers."

"What if Neo goes into town and books a room and we sneak in?" Vale asked. "It's going to rain so we have an excuse to keep our hoods up."

"I think that's a great plan." Roman said instantly.

His desperation to sleep somewhere other than the ground was so blatant Neo openly sniggered. She liked the criminal, but it was amusing how quickly he could crumble. First to Cinder, then to nature. How cute. Though if that weakness ever caused him to turn against her… He wouldn't last very long.

"What do you think, Neo?" Vale asked. "Is it safe?"

He was asking  _her_ , looking to  _her_  for guidance. Oh, the  _irony_.

Neo smiled and nodded before hopping down from his back. She typed on her Scroll and showed them the message, telling them to wait here for her to return. Higanbana was not far. It was a peaceful place and a common stop for travelers, equipped with a tavern and inn. She would have little trouble getting them a room.

She hated being unable to start something in her own town, but keeping Vale's location a secret would be worth it in the long run. It did not matter if Roman and Mercury's former allies caught up with them. It did not matter if Vale was captured by them. She would be able to play her game either way.

So beautifully unaware of her thoughts, Vale waved. "See you around, Neo. Be careful."

Mistral nodded and vanished. The village was close enough for her to reach it in a few jumps, and without using much Aura. It was so irritating that a nation such as herself only had a limited amount. They were Kingdoms. Their power should be infinite. But it was not. Just like a normal human's.

It infuriated her, but Neo did not focus on her rage, instead looking to the future and all the fun she would have with Vale. He was so uninformed, so uncertain, so  _new_. He had no idea what he was or what the world was going to do to him. What  _she_  was going to do to him.

But first, Neo needed him to like her. She needed her claim that they were friends to become real to him instead of something he was simply told. Then, when he trusted her with his everything, she would  _break_  him in every way she knew how.

She would break him just like Vale broke her.

Neo smiled and cheerfully skipped into Higanbana.

XXXXXXX

Ruby loved airships. Not only did they allow a person to travel in the open sky, but they had great views, letting passengers see for miles all around. From here the world seemed so big and amazing, with so many secrets and places to explore, but it was also so small, with the people, trees, rivers, and buildings below looking tiny compared to the vastness of Remnant.

All of her memories of airships were wonderful— with one glaring exception— and she could always count on them to be a relaxing affair, only expecting her to sit at a window and look outside in awe.

This airship ride was like none she had experienced before.

The airship from the evacuation site near Vale to Anima was mostly filled with refugees and returning citizens of Mistral. The faces around her were not happy and wondrous, but drawn and scared. People stuck together in their little groups, looking at each other nervously and glancing outside with dark, worried eyes.

It was not claustrophobic and there was plenty of room, but the space was  _constrictive_ , like Ruby would accidentally hit someone if she dared to move her elbow. It was also very quiet. No one spoke cheerfully to each other, instead sitting silently or murmuring to their travelling partners instead of engaging in conversation with strangers and asking about their destinations like she was used to seeing. Occasionally someone would sob, and Ruby's heart would squeeze in sympathy.

She understood why it was like this. Many of these people were running from destruction or desperately trying to get home. Vale was supposed to be a place of safety, but now that safety was gone. The Grimm were still in Beacon, and the Dragon still circled the ruined tower. Ruby would have stayed in Vale to try to help recapture her school, but she knew there was little she could do. She was only one person.

_We should have been able to stop it._

Refusing to wallow in guilt and self-pity, Ruby shook herself and looked to her companions. She was not the only one unnerved by the heavy atmosphere, though a majority of her friends were hiding any discomfort they felt. Ren was as stoic as ever, while Nora looked just the slightest bit uneasy, like she had seen such unhappy folks before and was unsettled to be among them again.

Matthew had a similar look, the softness of his violet eyes portraying sympathy while the set of his jaw suggested dismay or anger. Ruby had to wonder if he had been in such a situation before… Then she remembered Westwind and knew he had.

Arthur, Kiku, Ludwig, and Francis were as stoic as Ren, revealing none of their thoughts, though the tallest blond-haired man was holding a shivering Feliciano's hand. Even Gilbert was unsmiling and grim, keeping to himself instead of boasting about his awesomeness like Ruby had learned he was prone to do in the past couple weeks.

Jaune's expression was a reflection of Ruby's emotions, clearly caught between discomfort and determination. Though his discomfort might be due to airsickness more than the heavy atmosphere. When he caught her eye, he smiled, but dare not speak and break the heavy silence over them all, as if doing so would break a universal law.

Pyrrha had a green hoodie on and Ruby could barely see her face. The champion had donned the sweatshirt after they bought their tickets and had been wearing it for the few hours since they started their ride. Ruby guessed that she did not want to be recognized by fans, though seeing the champion might brighten some people's days.

She sighed.

Matthew noticed her despondency and leaned over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Ruby murmured. "I was just expecting our trip to be more…" Her eye roamed over the solemn people around her. "…adventurous."

"We're not here to adventure. We're here to get to Mistral as quickly as we can." Matthew reminded her gently but firmly.

"I know." Ruby said. "I just wanted to see more of the world. I haven't been many places other than Vale and Patch before."

"We'll see plenty when we land in Shion to refuel." Ren reminded her.

"Oh, yes! My family used to camp near there all the time." Jaune said excitedly. He lowered his voice after a few passengers glanced at him. "We probably won't have much time, but I'll try to show you the spot when we land. There's a cool hiking trail, and the area is really pretty."

"I'd like that." Ruby commented.

"As would I." Pyrrha said.

The partners looked at each other for a long time. Nearly simultaneously, both blushed and turned away. Ruby raised an eyebrow at their odd behavior but kept her thoughts to herself. She heard Arthur huff.

"Oh, just kiss already." He muttered. He smacked Francis's arm when he opened his mouth. "Not a word, frog."

Francis chuckled. He saw Ruby looking at him and leaned over conspiratorially, making Arthur snarl as the man practically laid across his legs. "I think Arthur is jealous of the beautiful story of young love blossoming before him." He whispered with a wink.

Ruby blinked and looked back at her friends. Jaune was speaking softly to Pyrrha, who smiled back at him, looking more relaxed than she had in a while. Nothing about the interaction seemed different, but she had heard that romance did not always magically turn people into piles of mushy goo once they changed from friendly partners to romantic ones. If they were indeed a couple, Ruby was happy for them. But it was their business. She wasn't like Yang—

Ruby's happiness dwindled but Arthur apparently had enough of Francis's position and shoved him back into his seat, glaring.

"Get  _off_  me, frog."

"But Angleterre, you are so comfortable." Francis proclaimed.

"Then ask for a pillow." Arthur growled. "Preferably so I can smother you with it."

Francis gasped dramatically. "Matthieu, your evil brother has threatened to murder me!"

"That's nice." Matthew said in disinterest. "What flowers do you want at your funeral?"

He met Ruby's gaze and his violet eyes danced with mirth. Francis immediately fell into an overdramatically delivered spiel about how everyone had betrayed him, and how could they turn against his beautiful self, and Ruby found herself giggling. She was not the only one. More than a few younger passengers had spotted the argument and were laughing, while some of the adults watched with small smiles.

The atmosphere in the airship had shifted just a tiny bit, becoming just a little less weary, and Ruby had to wonder if it was intentional on Francis and Arthur's part. Matthew's smile did not give her an answer, but the lack of tension in his shoulders— tension that Ruby just now realized had been there— said it all.

Maybe this trip would not be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, I won't be doing much with Jaune and Pyrrha's romance. There will just be little things if you look for them, but that's it. (So... how people normally ship stuff, I guess?) Like I said before, I don't/can't write romance so I'm just going to write the characters as characters instead of doing sappy stuff. That's why their relationship isn't even in the tags. (shrugs)
> 
> I almost forgot to put this in again. Does anyone know how to make glitched text stay only on the word I want glitched? I'd like to know because reasons.


	3. Higanbana

The inn's room did not consist of much. It had only two beds, a couch, a table, a lamp, and little else. There was, however, a good view of the town and part of the forest, the former of which Alfred had not been able to see much of since his friends had hurried him along, insisting he not be seen. It was not the prettiest place, but it was still nice enough to look at and sitting by the window might be a good enough distraction since there was little else to do in the small room.

Roman cared for none of that.

"Beds!" he crowed. "Oh, how I missed you!"

He flung himself onto the mattress, arms spread like he was trying to hug the cushion, or maybe sink into the blankets and vanish entirely. Alfred covered his laugh with a cough. Neo did not bother, silently snickering. She caught his eye and winked. Neo walked over to the other bed, throwing her arms wide and jumping onto it while making exaggerated kissing noises. Alfred shook his head wryly while Mercury cracked up at her dramatic rendition of Roman's reunion with the perks of civilization.

Roman scowled. "Ha ha. Thank you, Neo."

She rolled onto her back and smiled innocently. Alfred leaned his baseball bat against the wall and looked between his friends, the two beds, and the couch, coming to a quick realization.

"Someone is going to have to share." He murmured.

Neo got up and glanced between her companions. She smirked and shoved Alfred onto the couch, falling back onto the bed and spreading out to stake her claim. Mercury and Roman looked at Alfred, who caught onto Neo's plan and laid down, taking up the entirety of the couch.

"Mine." He said.

The two men eyed each other. Roman knelt before Alfred, hands clasped pleadingly.

"Switch?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope." Alfred said, popping the p.

Roman grew desperate. "I'll give you  _anything_."

Alfred settled more comfortably on the couch. "Nah."

Mercury shoved between them so he was in front of Alfred. "I'll buy you hamburgers. Plural."

That caught his attention. "How many?" Alfred blinked. "Do I like hamburgers?"

"Infamously." Mercury muttered. "Give me the couch and I'll buy you the best one in town."

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Alfred. When no accompanying context was forthcoming, he dismissed it. "No thank you. You two can buddy up."

Roman and Mercury glared at each other and simultaneously looked at Neo. She tipped her head, smirking as she silently encouraged them to grovel before her. The orange-haired man realized the uselessness of bargaining with her and gave up.

"Kick me and I'll kill you." Roman threatened.

"If I kick you, you'll be dead." Mercury snarled.

Alfred rolled his eyes. He had not known them long but could tell the two had a rather vitriolic relationship. Hopefully they would not come to blows and bring the inn down. Alfred was pretty sure they did not have the Lien to pay for repairs. Mismatched eyes drifted to his weapon. Speaking of fighting…

"Hey, Neo?" She looked his way. "Do you know if there's a place to spar around here? I want to make sure I can fight before we run into a problem."

Her currently pink eyes lit up eagerly.

"Forget that." Roman interrupted. "You can fight later. Now, we need showers. I'm first!"

He bolted into the bathroom like a Grimm was on his tail, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Prissy clean freak." Mercury muttered.

Alfred chuckled. "I don't blame him. I remember a time when I was covered head to toe in mud and—"

He flinched, clapping a hand to his aching head.

" _Ugh. I feel like I took a mud bath."_

_He grinned mischievously and planted his hand on his companion's head, turning his already dirty locks a darker shade of brown. The boy who looked so much like him gave an unmanly yelp and dodged away from Alfred, glaring balefully at him with bright violet eyes._

_Alfred sniggered. "There was a clean spot. I had to get it." He said innocently._

_The other— He looked just like him. Like a_ _**mirror image** _ _of him except for his hair length and violet eyes._ _**Could he be—** _ _brushed muddy hair out of his face and growled low in his throat. "I hate you."_

" _Love you too, bro." Alfred chirped._

Alfred returned to the present to see Mercury snapping his fingers below his nose. His friend leaned back, relaxing now that the amnesiac was back in his body and looking at him.

"What happened? Are you okay? Did you remember something?" Mercury asked rapidly.

"I… think so." Alfred murmured. "I was teasing someone. I… think he was my  _brother_. He looked just like me." Unbidden, a smile stretched across his face. _I have a sibling?_

Mercury's eyes darkened. Before he could speak, Neo typed something on her Scroll and handed it to him. His eyes widened slightly and his face grew unreadable. An uneasy feeling settled in Alfred's gut and his smile faded.

"What is it?" he asked tentatively.

Mercury visibly hesitated, looking to Neo. Smirk noticeably gone, the girl nodded, an emotion Alfred could not identify shining in her brown-and-pink eyes. Mercury sat beside Alfred, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Al." Mercury said softly. "Your brother is dead."

XXXXXXX

Alfred did not sleep that night. He could not stop thinking about what he had been told. After some prompting, Neo had revealed he did indeed have a brother… and what happened to him. Every time he closed his eyes, the words on Neo's Scroll implanted themselves behind his eyelids, refusing to leave him alone.

" _They experimented on you both. The experiments killed your brother."_

Two simple sentences, and yet they made Alfred's limited world come crashing down. For a moment he had been so excited that he had recalled something, but that something— that person, his  _brother_ — was already long gone. He wanted to deny it, to say Neo was mistaken, but the news resonated within Alfred, carrying a beat of familiarity that informed him it was the truth.

His brother— who he did not even remember the name of— was dead. 'They' had killed him. Naturally, he had asked who 'they' were, and Neo told him their names.

Ozpin. James Ironwood. Glynda Goodwitch. Qrow Branwen. Ciel Soleil.

Alfred did not consciously remember them, but his subconscious mind did. Just hearing the names made his heart beat quicker with fear, his emotions whirling like a tornado. Among those feelings was terror, betrayal, and most of all,  _anger_. He did not need to be told that they were the ones responsible for his amnesia. The fury he felt towards them was enough of an indicator.

They had captured him. They had experimented on him. They had  _betrayed_  him.

They had murdered his brother.

Alfred did not ask what his sibling's name was. He was not sure he wanted to know after his last revelation led to such heartbreak. If he allowed himself to think hard about it, small snippets of feelings and information would float through his messed up mind. He saw images of ice and snow. He vaguely recalled protective violet eyes.

His brother's name began with 'M'.

He did not dare try to remember more, afraid of what he the memories would show.

At seven, Alfred gave up on trying to sleep. He put on his glasses and got off the couch. The night before, he'd discovered he did not need the glasses— his vision was perfect without them— but decided to wear them anyway. It felt wrong to go without them, like he was losing another piece of himself when he took them off.

The amnesiac carefully tiptoed out of the room, heading out into Higanbana's streets. Very few people were out this early, and those that were hurried to their destination, wary of the clouds that promised it would soon rain. Alfred did not care about rain. It could pour for all he cared. He wandered to the edge of the town and sat on a barrel behind a shop, staring into the forest.

_My brother is dead._

No one was around to hear him weep.

He could not decide whether he cried due to the loss he could not remember, or merely because he could not remember his brother in the first place. Deep down, he did remember, however, and so he quietly cried, covering his face to hide his grief from the world. Arms wrapped around him and he jumped, looking back and meeting solemn pink and brown eyes. Neo held him gently, leaning against his back but Alfred refused to cry more, instead forcing a smile.

_I have to be happy._

"Hey." He pretended that his voice did not come out watery and hoarse. Alfred wiped at his eyes. "How long were you there?"

Neo shot him a look that showed how deeply unimpressed she was with his attempt to fool her and control himself.

Alfred forced a shaky laugh. "That long, huh?"

Neo smacked him on the arm and prodded his tear-stained cheek.

"I'm fine now. Really." He lied.

She gave a frustrated huff and took out her Scroll, typing.  _"You're not. You're upset and angry."_

"I wouldn't say that…" Alfred protested.

She quirked an eyebrow and he had to look away. Truthfully, he  _was_  upset, and definitely angry. The vague feelings of shock and betrayal and  _how-could-they-do-this-_ _ **why**_ _?_  were enough to make him want to seek out those responsible and…  _and_ …

He was not sure what he wanted to do yet. Demand answers? Get justice? Seek vengeance for his brother and himself? The thought made him uncomfortable and he slowly realized he did not want to hurt those responsible despite what they had done. In fact, the thought of even seeing them again made him feel ill.

"I don't want to be angry." He admitted, succumbing to the desperate need to share his thoughts with someone. "I don't think I even want to seek them out. I… I think I'm fine with  _running_  from them." He put his head in his hands. "What kind of cowardly person does that?"

Neo tapped on his shoulder, showing her Scroll.  _"That's understandable. They took your brother, and your memories. They hurt you and intend to hurt you more. Don't worry. I promise they won't get you again."_

Her eyes were shadowed, glinting with a near-vengeful light. Rather than disturb him, the sight calmed Alfred. It was comforting to know Neo would have his back.

"You're a good friend, Neo." He murmured.

Neo grinned and winked to tell him she knew. She stood up and took out her umbrella, poking him with it. Alfred rose as well, raising an eyebrow.

"What? You want to spar?  _Now_?"

She nodded and prodded him again. Alfred dodged and sighed. He saw what Neo was doing. She was trying to distract him. He'd allow it, because anything was better than wallowing in the sorrow and confusing anger he did not have enough memories to fully understand. It was better than mourning the brother he did not remember. Neo nudged him insistently and he put his hands up.

"Okay! I'll spar. Jeez."

She smiled happily and they retreated some distance into the forest. Alfred took his baseball bat from its holster, holding it in a ready position. The weapon felt right in his hands but also  _wrong_. It was the perfect size and weight, but he could not shake the feeling that it should be longer and thinner.

_Did I use to fight with a staff too?_

An image flashed through his thoughts of a long stave with two crystals at the ends. His heart leapt in excitement.

_I did! If I get the chance I should buy a new one_ , he decided.  _It's a good idea to have a backup weapon. Especially ones with different functions._

He'd mention it once they got to a town with more Huntsmen-targeted products. For now, it was time to fight. Alfred waited patiently for Neo to strike, unwilling to make the first move. After a moment, the smirking girl stepped forward, moving so quickly she was a blur. Alfred blocked her rapid strikes, batting them aside and had to hold back a smile. With their choices of weapons, he almost felt like two kids play-sword fighting. Their weapons were far from toys, however.

Alfred deflected a stab, stepping in close and twisting his bat. A bayonet shot from the tip and he flicked it up, forcing Neo to step back to avoid getting stabbed in the face. She twisted, attempting to knock his feet out from under him but Alfred kept his balance, swinging at her.

Neo ducked beneath the swipe, knocking his arm aside and aiming for his throat. Alfred blocked the blow, jerking his bat sideways and the umbrella went with it. Quickly, he hit her in the side, sending her sprawling. She got up, smirk gone, and lunged.

Alfred yelped as he hastily diverted her sharp umbrella so it did not stab him in the throat. He was forced back a step, then another before Neo's harsh assault. Alfred appreciated that she was not holding back but it was almost like she was just trying to beat him. He decided to give his all in return and— following his instincts— swung at her despite her being out of range of his bat.

An invisible force—  _wind_?— slammed into Neo, sending her flying. The sight of it made his heart soar, and he realized the power felt familiar and  _right_. Alfred looked from his bat to his hands to the fallen girl and beamed, running to her side.

"Neo! Did you  _see_  that? I summoned wind! Is that my Semblance?"

The girl did not answer, instead glowering at him from her position on the ground, her hair noticeably messed.

Alfred's lips twitched. "Sorry?"

The handle of Neo's umbrella caught his ankle, sending him crashing to the dirt. Alfred winced and hoisted himself onto his elbows, glaring at the smirking girl.

"Rude." He got back up and helped a moody Neo to her feet. "So was that my Semblance? Do you know?"

She hesitated visibly but nodded.

Alfred had to resist the urge to bounce with excitement. "I can control wind? That's so  _cool_! What's your Semblance?"

She stared at him neutrally then smirked and typed on her Scroll.  _"I'm not telling. Figure it out."_

Alfred huffed. "No fair." He glanced at the position of the sun. "We'd better get back. If Roman and Merc wake up alone they'll kill each other."

She agreed and mimed an eating motion.

"You want to pick up food for them?" he guessed.

She nodded.

"We should get one thing and have them fight it out. Winner gets food." Alfred said solemnly, straight-faced.

Neo's eyes gleamed wickedly.

"No, Neo. We're not actually doing that." Alfred sighed.

She pouted but shrugged. The two headed back into town, and the streets were much busier than they had been before. Neo abruptly grabbed Alfred's hood and pulled it up, making him squawk.

"Hey!"

She put a finger to her lips and her eyes roamed the streets warily. She typed a message.  _"You should go back to the inn."_

Alfred blinked. "Wh…?" He trailed off, recalling that they were being hunted. His stomach did a somersault. "Okay. Can you get food by yourself?"

She bobbed her head firmly.

Alfred went to answer, only to crash into someone. Ice shot through his veins and panic grasped his throat. His heartbeat increased to a thousand beats a minute and he stepped back, flinching and raising his hands defensively. Oh God he bumped into someone they were going to hurt him they were going to shoot him they were going to—

As quickly as the illogical panic came, it left, leaving Alfred breathing heavily and staring at the woman he bumped into with a frightened expression. She was dressed like a waitress, apron and all, with brown hair and startled brown eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She apologized kindly. "Are you okay?"

Brown and brown. Not blonde and red. Alfred's heart would not stop pounding.

"F-Fine. Sorry I b-bumped into you." He stammered.

Her gaze softened, noting his nervousness. But why would he be nervous? It wasn't like she would attack him for accidentally running into her. It wasn't like she had weapons—  _Golden gauntlets_ — that she would hit and shoot him with as he pleaded with her and shouted for her to stop and why why  _why_  he thought they were  _friends_ —

"It's perfectly alright." She said soothingly. Her head tipped. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

Neo tensed, hand drifting towards her weapon. The action was enough to pull Alfred out of the panic he was drowning in.

"I'm afraid not." He mumbled, unable to summon his usual exuberance. He avoided her curious gaze. "You must be thinking of someone else."

The woman studied him a moment longer and gasped. "I know you! You're the poor boy who was attacked by that Huntress from Beacon."

Alfred's breath left him. Images burst into his mind, exploding into existence from the previous blank space in his memory.

_He had just argued with his brother. About what, he did not recall. All he knew was the ache in his chest and the stinging in his eyes, because_ _ **of course**_ _everything was his fault. He was stupid A—_ his mind fogged _— and he was always to blame. He was the aggressor, the fake, the idiot, and no one could see that he was motivated by more than petty fantasies of heroics._

_He bumped into someone and mumbled an apology, relaxing as he recognized his friend. His eyes met startled violet irises, and they bled red. She punched at him, and he frantically dodged. She punched again and he barely evaded the strike, stumbling backwards clumsily. Her expression contorted with fury and kept attacking, refusing to let up._

_He dodged and dodged and dodged again, but soon grew aware of panicked screams around him. There were people in the line of fire. Civilians. He had to save them._

_His_ _**friend** _ _slammed her fists together and swung at his face, forcing him to bring out Cobalt Striker and bat her strike downward. She bared her teeth and jabbed rapidly, forcing him to block the blows, hardly able to keep up. He did not dare dodge. Not when innocents were behind him and could get hit._

_Bullets flew from her gauntlets, past him, towards the civilians, and he threw himself into the path of the shots instead of away._   _His_ _ **friend**_ _feinted a blow and gave him a left hook directly to the jaw. He stumbled, wincing in pain, and she snarled. Her fist slammed into his throat, taking his breath away, and his mouth opened in a silent gasp. She grabbed him before he could recover, smashing her knee into his abdomen._

_The pain of it made him drop his weapon, the bat falling to the floor with a metallic clatter. She kept her vicious hold on him, quick to press her advantage. His_ _**friend** _ _did not let up her assault, smirking in vindictive glee as she punched him repeatedly in the face and torso. He flinched and cringed but made sure to shift his body in the path of each bullet-filled strike, desperate to keep the shots from reaching the panicking crowd._

_Why was no one stopping this? Why was no one helping him?_

_At first he tried to break away, but his opponent was too strong. Soon he gave up, doing little to resist except shield his face. As his attempts to defend himself grew more feeble, his Aura failed, blue light flashing over his now-vulnerable skin. His_ _**friend** _ _released her enemy, letting him stagger back a useless step. She could not resist a taunt before the final blow._

" _This time, I win." She hissed._

_Triumphant, his_ _**friend** _ _punched him straight in the stomach. He felt the bullet tear through his abdomen and organs but could not find the breath to scream, only able to stare at his_ _**friend** _ _in confusion. Her eyes widened with shock, but he could not focus on her, slowly becoming aware of the sticky liquid dripping down his front. He looked at it, still unable to comprehend what had happened, and pressed his quivering hands to his bleeding abdomen._

_Weakness rushed through him to join the pain, and he collapsed into someone's arms, their familiar screams barely reaching his fading hearing…_

Alfred returned to his body to see two faces in front of him.

The woman looked horrified.

Neo looked pissed.

He could not summon similar feelings. He could not feel anything at all. Instead, he was numb.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." The waitress apologized.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Alfred assured her and the irate Neo tonelessly. He put a hand on his friend's— his  _real_  friend's, his friend who would not betray and hurt him— tense shoulder. "We should get going."

She nodded understandingly. "Of course. I'm so sorry. Bye."

They quickly and awkwardly went their separate ways. Alfred kept his hand firmly on Neo's arm, preventing her from pursuing the woman. He understood why she was so upset, but it wasn't the woman's fault that she had recognized them and brought up a bad memory. Not only that, but people were hunting them, and if the waitress talked about seeing Alfred… He did not know the details of what happened but did not want an innocent woman to be hassled because of vague recognition.

_My friend…_

Alfred focused on getting Neo away from the woman. They did not need to cause a scene. Eventually Neo twisted out of his hold, a dark glare on her face. Alfred stepped in front of her before she could stalk off.

"Don't, Neo. She's not a threat."

The look on his friend's face told him she disagreed.

Alfred sighed. "It's not like she'll tell anyone. Just let it go. It's fine."

Neo frowned and drummed her fingers on the handle of her umbrella. After a tense pause she bobbed her head in agreement, hand dropping from her weapon.

Alfred relaxed but had to make sure. "Promise you won't hurt her?"

She thought about it and held up her pinky. Alfred hooked his little finger around hers. They shook on it and Alfred let his hand drop heavily at his side.

"I remember what happened..." He admitted.

Neo looked at him sharply.

He blinked back tears. "I thought she was my friend."

He felt Neo hug him but could not look at her, flinching as he recalled his 'friend's' brutal attack. He could not recall her name, only the familiar feeling of betrayal as she assaulted him and he wondered what he had done wrong. Surely there must be more of a reason that she hurt him, right? Alfred kept the question to himself. Neo was already angry, and bringing it up would only make things worse. Instead he stopped in front of the door to the inn and turned to her.

"If the restaurant has hamburgers, can you get me two?"

She simply agreed with a silent nod, patting his arm briefly before walking off. Alfred went into their room to find Mercury and Roman at each other's throats. He broke them up and waited for Neo, not mentioning the incident or his single regained memory at all.

Neo returned half an hour later, carrying takeout and with a satisfied look on her face. She dumped the bags of food on the table between Mercury and Roman, who were currently glowering at each other. The red-haired man took one look at her and groaned.

"I know that look. We need to leave?" Roman asked.

Neo shook her head and sat down. She opened up the bags and handed out the food. Mercury and Roman got omelets. Alfred got two hamburgers.

"What did she do?" Alfred asked warily even as he gave Neo a nod of thanks.

Roman glanced sidelong at Neo and eyed his omelet intensely, poking it with a fork. "Oh, she probably just trolled somebody. Nothing major."

Alfred sighed. "I told you to leave her alone, Neo."

The girl smiled sweetly.  _"I swear I just sent her for a swim."_

Alfred imagined the girl shoving the poor woman into a puddle and shook his head wryly. "I guess a prank doesn't count as 'hurting'. Fine. I suppose you kept your promise."

He saw Roman and Mercury look at each other across the table but paid it no mind.

"Still, we should probably get out of town." The grey-haired teen said. "The last thing we need is to draw any attention to ourselves."

"Next time we book an inn, you can sleep on the floor." Roman informed him. "I'm going to have bruises on my shins."

"Good." Mercury said, unapologetic.

The two quickly devolved into an argument, and a smile pulled at Alfred's lips. He did not know why, but the sight was oddly familiar… and almost endearing. Seeing them taunt and jab at each other like that felt right.

_Of course it is. We know each other even if I've forgotten. Heh. I guess I picked some really interesting friends._


	4. Champion

A thud jolted Canada from sleep. He sat up, pushing his borrowed blanket off of him, and looked around warily. Out the window, the sun was rising, casting golden light and strange shadows across the sleeping passengers around him. The first he noticed were Pyrrha and Jaune, who curled around each other as they slept next to him. Carefully Canada slid away from them and got up, stretching out his muscles and grabbing Maple Frost.

His gaze roamed over the slumbering passengers laying wherever there was room and his heart grew heavy. This airship was not meant for overnight travel. It had a few rooms, but not as many as it could fit passengers. People were so desperate to get away from Vale that they did not care about the accommodations, changing in the public bathrooms and huddling close to their loved ones as blankets were passed around.

Those in charge of the ships did not mind the extended trip, either because they too wanted to get people out or simply wanted their money. Canada hoped it was the former but knew the latter was a likely reason. He tried not to let it bother him. Airships were the fastest way to travel on Remnant, and they needed to get to Mistral as soon as possible. The fact that said airship might be taking advantage of people's desperation was a bitter truth he had to accept.

Canada tiptoed cautiously over the still-sleeping passengers, heading down to the viewing gallery at the bottom of the airship. A flight attendant approached him, offering hot coffee, which he accepted with a smile and soft thanks. It was hardly past dawn. He should still be asleep or stumbling around like a zombie, not wide awake as he calmly sipped his drink.

_Like America._

Canada made sure not to squeeze the fragile Styrofoam cup. Aura or not, coffee still burned when it was dumped on his skin and he did not want to explain to England what had happened. The country may act grouchy but he would fuss like the fussiest of mother hens when one of his former colonies was injured, insulting them for their stupidity all the while. Canada set the cup on the ledge under the window but kept his hands around it, knowing the slightest jostle would make it spill.

He heard footsteps behind him and looked at the newcomer. Jaune nodded to him and leaned on the railing beside him, nursing his own cup of steaming coffee. Canada turned back to the window, guiltily relieved. He did not feel like talking to any of his more exuberant friends at the moment and apparently the knight did not feel the need to start up a conversation. Together the two watched the sun rise, the sky turning from red, pink, and gold to a brilliant blue.

"I'm sorry." Jaune said quietly, not looking at him.

Canada blinked, caught off guard. "For what?"

Jaune stared down at his half-empty cup. "I lost your brother."

Oh. _Oh._

"It wasn't your fault." Canada said instantly. "You were separated on accident and the city was huge and overrun by Grimm. There was nothing you could do."

He had never blamed the knight for America's disappearance. The thought of doing so had never even crossed his mind. Jaune disagreed.

"I could have done  _more_." He said, voice strained and almost snappish. Canada knew that anger was not directed at him, but inward. "If I'd looked harder, or been stronger, or been a better fighter maybe I could have—"

Canada put his hand on Jaune's forearm, silencing him. "Don't. It's useless to wallow in the past. It cannot be changed. All that matters is that you tried your best. And Alfred won't be lost forever. We'll find him."

Remorseful blue eyes met his. "How can you be so sure?"

"I just know." Canada said, unable to explain it. He chuckled. "Maybe it's that 'twin telepathy' thing Ruby was talking about, but I know my brother is alive."

That got a small smile out of the knight. "Don't tell her. She'll never let us forget her 'theory' was right." Jaune sighed, slouching against the window. "Sorry for being a downer. I mean, with everything going on,  _I_  should be comforting  _you_."

"That's not necessary." Canada assured him. "Of course I'm upset about Alfred but… I believe things will turn out okay."  _I_ _ **have**_ _to believe that. Otherwise…_

Jaune relaxed. "Yeah. You and Ruby are really competing for title of 'most optimistic' you know."

Canada chuckled. "Not really. She would win. She never lost hope."

_And she isn't here to seek out her enemies…_

Jaune shivered, clutching his coffee mug. "Brr. It sure got chilly in here."

"Sorry." Canada said.

Jaune waved off his apology. "Don't be. It's not like you can control the temperature."

Canada sipped his cold coffee and did not respond, secretly glad the knight had not noticed his cup was covered in a thin layer of ice. No one in their group except him knew about Mantle, not even England or France. The nations were already angry enough at Ozpin and his association, and telling them about the full extent of the experiments would only make things worse. If they noticed, Canada intended to pass of Mantle's powers as his own Semblance. It was for the best.

Unless America was not America anymore. Then all bets were off.

Canada drank the rest of his iced coffee and watched the land flow serenely by below them.

XXXXXXX

Consciousness came to Pyrrha slowly. Once the comfortable fog of sleep drifted from her mind, she stretched, sitting up, and noticed Jaune was no longer beside her. She was not surprised. The knight tended to wake up earlier than her lately, eager to get up and start a new day. Or to get up and train. The champion shook her head fondly, used to allowing her partner to practice on his own for a bit. She suspected that he was trying to perfect a new move and impress her with it later, a thought that made her lips quirk upward.

Pyrrha stood, tipping her head to crack her neck, and noticed the fabric of her hoodie was gathered behind her head. She hurriedly pulled the hood of her sweatshirt back over her hair, glancing around. Luckily no one had seen her, with only a few passengers up at the moment. That was good. The last thing Pyrrha wanted was for someone to see she was the Invincible Girl.

And it was not just a desire to stay out of the spotlight that motivated her to stay hidden. Being recognized  _might_ brighten fans' days except…

_Penny._

Pyrrha's eyes stung and she wiped at them, forcing her eyelids back open so she did not see the girl's bisected body. She still did not know what had happened that day. She remembered seeing Penny menacing her with knives, more than a thousand— which in hindsight made absolutely no sense— but logic had been thrown out the window in favor of a panic-driven retaliation. Retaliation which caused her to accidentally murder her opponent.

Pyrrha blinked rapidly, eyes welling up with tears. Truthfully, she did not expect to survive the battle with Cinder. But she had. And everything she had done beforehand mattered.

She kissed Jaune and let him know she loved him.

She sent Alfred into the city and lost him.

She killed Penny and everyone in Remnant saw it.

Pyrrha was no psychologist, but she knew that only a very select few knew what really happened at Beacon, that the whole attack had been orchestrated by Cinder Fall and Penny's death had likely been an intentional catalyst to attack the Grimm. They did not know that the robot girl's death had been accidental, that Pyrrha had not meant to tear her apart. All they knew was that the star pupil of Beacon had murdered a student from Atlas.

Fame went both ways, and as a famous champion, it would not be difficult for people to place the blame of everything on her. Pyrrha had seen it happen before and was willing to go to great lengths to avoid it. Not for herself, but for her team and companions. Humans could be cruel creatures and her friends would be ostracized for associating with her. She could not let that happen. Thus, she wore the sweatshirt with its face-shadowing hood.

Pyrrha went to the bathroom and squinted in the mirror, grimacing at the redness rimming her eyes. She cleaned up her makeup and hair, hiding the signs of her distress. The door opened behind her as she worked and she quickly threw her hood back up. She relaxed when a small girl came in.

The child held her teddy bear tightly and walked up to the sink. She was far too short to reach the countertop, and after a moment of watching her hop in an attempt to grab the tap, Pyrrha approached, crouching so she was eye level with the child.

"Do you need help, little one?"

The girl clutched her bear tightly, looking at her with innocent blue eyes. "I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers." Her head tipped. "But I know you. You're Pyrrha Nikos."

The champion smiled kindly. "Yes, I am."

The girl backed up, clutching her teddy bear tightly. "You killed that girl with the pink bow." she whispered.

Pyrrha's smile froze on her face. The girl ran out the bathroom door before she could speak. Pyrrha went to the door, unsure if she was following or simply leaving, but the sound of voices made her pause.

"— thought you had to wash your hands, sweetie." A male voice said.

"I can't, Daddy!" the girl said with all the earnestness of a child. "There's a monster in there!"

A pit opened in Pyrrha's stomach and she put a hand to her mouth.

The girl's father sighed. "I'm sure there isn't a monster. But how about we go ask if there's a family bathroom? That way Daddy can protect you from any monsters."

"Okay." The girl said, voice muffled.

They must have left because Pyrrha did not hear anything else. She stood beside the closed door, staring at the wood with stinging eyes. The door nearly hit her in the face as it swung inward and she jumped back, reaching for Miló.

Nora froze in the doorway, blinking confusedly, and Pyrrha dropped her hand awkwardly. Her teammate did not smile or crack a joke, instead studying her solemnly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said demurely. "You just startled me."

Nora stepped into the bathroom, reaching out and gently touching her cheek. "You're crying."

Pyrrha realized her face was wet. She brushed her fingertips on her cheek and stared at them blankly. "I am?" Her shoulders shook. "I'm s-sorry."

Nora's arms wrapped around her and Pyrrha accepted the embrace, sobbing quietly. Her friend did not ask what was wrong or if she needed to break someone's legs, instead staying silent and supportive as the champion broke down. Soon another pair of arms joined Nora's and Pyrrha recognized Jaune's firm hold. She gave a watery laugh.

"This is the girl's bathroom…"

"Well, apparently I scream like a girl so it's fine." Jaune said lightly. "But how about we go somewhere else, okay?"

They left the bathroom to find Ren, Ruby, and Matthew standing outside. The violet-eyed twin spoke quietly with the red-cloaked girl and ninja before the two left Team JNPR alone. Somehow they found an empty part of the airship and sat beside each other, with Pyrrha sandwiched between Jaune and Nora, with Ren on Nora's other side. After a period of silence except for a few sniffles, Jaune spoke.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not yet." Pyrrha admitted.

"Okay." He did not pressure her into answering, instead rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Pyrrha leaned into his warm embrace, laying her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. For once, she did not see Penny's sparking corpse. Instead she was back at Beacon, leaning against a wall beneath the sunny sky with cotton candy and Jaune. She wished she could turn back the clock to those wonderful days, before the fall of Beacon, before losing Alfred, before Penny's death. Such a wish was impossible, but with her team at her side, maybe this was a good enough substitute.

She wished they could stay like this forever.

But all good things must come to an end.

XXXXXXX

"I miss civilization." Roman said flatly.

"I miss silence." Mercury shot back.

Alfred rolled his eyes at the two, focusing on the path ahead of them. The further they got from Higanbana, the denser the forest became. The path was still clear but it was becoming thinner and rockier. Not to mention the bugs. They did not bite but they kept buzzing in their ears, making Roman curse and slap himself in the side of the head every few minutes. Neo found great amusement in his struggle, snickering silently behind her hand.

"We all know how much you hate nature." Mercury continued irritably. "You have told us this repeatedly in the past few days. Telling us again will not make us reach the next town faster so will you just  _shut up_."

Alfred was beginning to prefer the buzzing of flies to the two's bickering. He considered covering his ears with his hands to block out the noise but did not want to risk occupying them. They were in the woods, and Grimm could pop out at any moment. He was honestly surprised they had not been attracted to Roman's pessimism and Mercury's snappishness yet.

Blackness caught Alfred's eye and he peered at the sky, squinting at the dark substance he could see drifting above the treetops.

"Is that smoke?"

Roman and Mercury stopped arguing, following his gaze.

"Goddamn it!" the orange-haired man spat. "That's our next stop!"

A chill went through Alfred and he burst into motion. "We should go help!"

He ran along the path, pulling Cobalt Striker from her sheath as he went. Behind him, Roman swore.

"Blue, no! Don't go running in, you idiot!"

Alfred ignored him, panting as he ran the rest of the way to the town. The gates came in sight and he noticed they were off their hinges, tipped uselessly and leaving the entrance wide open. He hopped over the metal grate and skidded to a halt inside the town. His heart leaped into his throat.

Bodies covered the streets. Some were burned, others were mangled, and absolutely none were alive. Alfred checked a few pulses anyway, stumbling from person to person as he choked on rancid air. Someone had to be alive, right? They could not all be dead. Surely someone was still breathing, needing help, waiting to be saved—

A hand landed on his shoulder and he met Roman's neutral gaze. The man sighed. "Don't bother, Blue. They're gone."

Alfred tore his arm away and turned in a circle, taking in the bodies, rubble, and smoking buildings again. Scanning for movement, for life, for  _anything_  to prove Roman wrong. There was nothing. He looked back to Roman, eyes childishly wide.

"What happened here?" he asked shakily.

Roman's eyes darkened. "If I had to guess, bandits and Grimm."

Alfred stared at him uncomprehendingly. "What?"

The orange-haired man crossed his arms, sneering. "There's more territory settled here than in Vale. Cities are further apart, so it gets harder to the prissy people in the capital to enforce their rules as you get further away from them. That means bandits can do what they want, and when they attack, the people's fear brings in the Grimm to finish what they started."

"That's  _terrible_." Alfred whispered, disgusted.

"That's Mistral." Roman retorted. "The main city and Haven may be pretty and artsy, but a lot of the outlying towns are prime targets. The rich citizens of Mistral are fine with it because who cares about the little people out of their  _marvelous_  city, right?"

Alfred could not think of a response. He had not realized there was such a distinction between the classes of Mistral. Was it really so bad that the main city did not do anything when a town was wiped off the map? Did they not care enough to try to stop the murderers menacing the people of Anima?

Neo stepped close to him, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she looked at the damage. At first Alfred thought she was trying to comfort him but saw her face was pale and she looked…  _nervous_.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, concerned.

Neo nodded, but the movement was jerky. Her eyes roamed the area constantly and her posture screamed that she wanted to leave. The quick message she typed on her Scroll reinforced that sentiment.

" _We need to go."_

Alfred's expression fell. "But shouldn't we bury—?"

Alfred yelped as Neo grabbed his arm, physically pulling him through the destroyed town. Her eyes never stopped moving, flashing from pink and brown to a silvery-white as she searched for an enemy. The nervousness became fear, and before Alfred realized what was happening the world blurred and they were elsewhere, the city in the distance behind them.

Neo did not stop, teleporting again, breathing harsh and panicked as she raced to get away. Alfred saw she was tiring and dragged his feet, trying to get her to stop.

"Neo, you're wearing yourself out! Quit it!"

She did not hear him, teleporting again, only to collapse five feet from where she reappeared. She knelt on the ground, eyes wide and filled with terror and her entire body shaking. Alfred crouched beside her, hands hovering but not touching her.

"Neo?"

Brown and pink eyes snapped to his face.

Alfred spoke softly and gently. "It's okay. We're okay."

Uncertainty flashed across her features before she covered it with a smirk. She stood up, brushing herself off, and leaned against a tree, looking back towards the ruined town. Alfred did not confront her about her bottling up her emotions, instead settling against another tree as they waited for Roman and Mercury to catch up to them. Questions buzzed around his mind like flies but he did not voice them. Neo would talk to him when she wanted to, and not a moment before.

Half an hour later, Roman and Mercury appeared with more bags slung over their shoulders than they entered the town with.

Alfred scowled disapprovingly. "Are you kidding me? You  _looted_  the place?"

"They weren't using it." Roman told him, unapologetic. He looked to Neo, expression softening with concern. "You better?"

She smirked at him mockingly.

Roman smiled. "Good. Now let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

Alfred followed them, seething internally at the man's apparent lack of empathy towards the citizens of the fallen town. He understood that they might need the supplies in the future but that did not mean they should steal it. He kept his anger to himself, however, instead thinking about Neo.

It was blatantly obvious she had experienced something like this before. Had her village been destroyed by bandits or Grimm? Or, more likely, both?

The thought made fire ignite in Alfred's veins and he glared, unaware of how a slight breeze picked up and rustled his hair. He doubted that his group would run into the bandits but if they did, he swore he would do what the rulers in Mistral refused to. He would stop them and bring them to justice, and make sure they were punished for taking and ruining so many innocent lives.

It was what a hero would do.


	5. Discontent is the Contagion

The low hum of the engines accompanied Ruby as she crept through the crowd of passengers, popping up onto her toes in an attempt to find her friends in the throng of people. It was times like this that she cursed her height. It was so  _easy_  for tall people. They could see above crowds, spotting their brethren in an instant, while those cursed to be shorter were lost in the mob. It didn't help that people kept moving in her left side. Case in point, Ruby bumped into another body.

"Sorry!" she yelped.

The man turned, glaring. "Watch where you're—" His eyes flicked to her blind side and he did a double take. "Er. It's fine."

He disappeared into the crowd before she could reply. Though confused, Ruby cast the narrowly avoided altercation from her mind, pushing through the mob. It was ridiculous. Was everyone on the ship in the viewing gallery or something? Staying in the upper levels of the airship might get boring after a while, but did  _everyone_  have to come down here at once?

Bouncing up on her toes, Ruby finally spotted a familiar blond head of hair and made a beeline for it. She burst out of the crowd like a drowning person burst above the surface of water, gracefully smacking her left hand on the window. Ruby winced and brought the smarting appendage to her chest.

"Ow."

"Are you all right?" Arthur asked, distant tone suggesting required politeness rather than true concern.

Ruby did not take it personally. In her few interactions with Matthew and Alfred's older brother, she had come to suspect he was a bit like Weiss. Stiff and standoffish to strangers but much more open around friends. Ruby pushed the thought of her partner away before it could lead to thoughts about her splintered team and smiled.

"I'm fine, thanks. I guess I'm not as used to this as I thought." She touched her eyepatch and dropped her hand, rubbing her fingers together until they tingled.

"Hm." Arthur grunted noncommittally in a very Weiss-like way. He returned his gaze to the wide-open window. "Your depth perception and balance will get better with time. I suggest walking with a friend on your blind side to avoid any other… incidents."

It took Ruby a moment to recognize the advice and encouragement hidden behind his crisp delivery, but his words soon brought a smile to her face.  _Just like Weiss._  "Thanks. Have you had to wear an eyepatch before?"

"A while ago." Arthur said vaguely. He crossed his arms, expression closed. "Is there something you needed?"

"Not really. I just wanted to see the view with a friend." Ruby said. She realized what she said and backtracked. "Not that we're friends. We're acquaintances! Or allies. Or friends of friends. Though Matthew's your brother so it's more 'friend's brother and brother's friend' but that's awkward to say I mean—"

Thankfully, Pyrrha, Jaune, Ludwig, Feliciano, and Francis came to save her before she could die of rambling. Or embarrassment. Or both. The more flamboyant blond-haired man saw the two and chuckled.

"My, my Arthur! Are you making friends with young Ruby all by yourself? I'm so proud!" Francis leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially in Ruby's ear. "Arthur may be prickly, but he's a softie inside. Don't let him scare you off."

Ruby giggled.

"Bugger off, frog." Arthur growled, ears red. "What do you want?"

"To find you." Francis said simply. "We should be landing in Shion tomorrow."

"Only for a couple hours." Arthur said dismissively. "If you're planning on exploring I advise against it. I heard the captain say we won't be staying long."

"Oh. That's a shame." Jaune commented. "I really wanted to show you where my family went hiking."

Upon seeing his crestfallen face, Arthur glared out the window. "Still, it  _is_  a few hours' wait. We might have time."

Ruby hid a smile.

_Thud._

Feliciano jumped. "What was that?"

Ludwig sighed but put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Calm down. It was merely the ship."

Black shapes flew by the window, darkening the formerly blue sky.

"I don't think it was the ship." Francis said faintly.

A Griffon slammed into the window in front of them, making Feliciano shriek. His cry pulled the other passengers from their stupor and they screamed, scrambling away from the windows. Ruby was nearly pulled into the mob of people rushing for the safer floors but Arthur grabbed her arm, keeping her from being swept away. She saw Matthew and the others push through the swarm to them.

"Grimm are landing on the top. We need to go." The violet-eyed twin said rapidly.

"Go  _where_?" Feliciano questioned, voice panicked.

Matthew did not reply to him directly, instead looking to Ludwig. "Stay with him and do what you can from here. Juniper, Ruby, and I will go help up top."

"I'll assist you." Arthur said briskly.

Wasting no more time arguing, the former students of Beacon and Arthur raced to the top of the airship. Another low thud reverberated through the vessel, making it shake and Ruby stumble into Ren. The ninja righted her without comment and they ran to the door that led to the roof of the ship. A few crewmen made to stop them, but upon seeing their weapons they simply opened the door.

"Do what you can." One requested, and shut the door behind them.

The airship was covered with flying Grimm. Nevermores and Griffons landed on the airship in swarms, making it look like it and the sky were made out of writhing, black ink. Ruby questioned why they were merely landing instead of slamming into the airship at high speeds, only for the vessel to tilt forward and give her a heartstopping answer.

"It's too much weight! They're bringing it down!" Matthew shouted.

Ruby lurched into motion, slicing through a throng of Griffons and turning them to smoke. The momentum of her speed nearly sent her flying into the open air, but a Nevermore got in her path, unintentionally stopping her. She stabbed it as thanks and spun, chopping five Griffons to pieces. Another Nevermore hovered over the ship, wings beating as it considered adding its weight to that of its brethren.

Ruby's shots were accompanied by blasts of green light but neither brought the Nevermore down. That did not mean they went unnoticed. The Grimm flapped its wings hard, shooting dagger-like feathers at them, and Arthur rolled out of their path. Ruby was less lucky.

Misjudging the path of a feather on her left, she darted straight into the projectiles, with two stabbing through her cloak. Ruby pulled at her pinned clothing, stomach dropping when she heard it rip. A familiar clang made her look up.

Pyrrha stood between her and the diving Nevermore, shield blocking its beak and stabbing it with her javelin. A blow from Nora's hammer finished the beast and the two girls landed beside Ruby.

"Watch your left." The champion said briefly.

"Haha… R-right." Ruby stammered.

She saw two Griffons stalking towards an observation window and brought them down, bringing her sniper rifle up to shoot a small Nevermore before it could land. The airship was righting itself, though the loud roar of the engines suggested it was still under strain. It was not meant for battle. It was meant for flying in the safe area around Vale. They needed to clear it of Grimm quickly.

Ruby beheaded a Griffon, leaping onto another's back and slicing through it with her scythe. The airship jerked below her, turning slightly, and she staggered. The wind pulled at her hair and cloak, threatening to blow her off the vessel. She caught her balance, running away from the dangerous edge, and a Nevermore landed in front of her with a loud metal clang. The Grimm reared up, screeching demonically, and jabbed at her.

A beak stabbed at her eye.

Ruby screamed, swinging wildly and only beheading the Nevermore by chance. Its body barely began to fade before another Griffon shot at her. She stabbed it and tried to slow her pounding heart, skin feeling clammy and cold. The battle must be taking a lot out of her. She should work on her stamina. Ruby twirled, taking out nearby enemies, only for a Griffon to ram her and send her sliding back. She halted next to Jaune, who glowered at the still-black sky.

"There's too many!"

Matthew landed beside the knight, glaring in the same direction. Ruby met his violet eyes and their gazes locked. He must have seen something in her face because his eyes hardened.

"Everyone, get over here!"

It was rare to hear the quiet twin shout so loudly. The rest of Team JNPR and Arthur hurried over to them, keeping their fronts towards their circling foes. The Grimm still in the air hung back, almost like they sensed a shift in the humans' strategy.

"What is it?" Jaune asked Matthew tersely.

"I'm going to try something." He replied vaguely. "I need you out of the way." He sheathed Maple Frost and raised his hands. "Brace yourselves."

Ruby widened her stance, and the others did the same. Even Arthur listened, though his green eyes were narrowed suspiciously. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Matthew's eyes  _glowed_. The sky darkened. The clouds turned an angry grey. A mist surrounded the airship, eerie and serene. The air went still and silent, like the Grimm and the airship were floating, frozen in time.

All at once, the false peace shattered.

Wind struck Ruby like a gunshot, sending her sliding back a few feet. Arthur grabbed her before she could fall off, planting his feet and holding her close as he braced against the violent gale. She was not the only one misplaced. Ren slid as well, knees bent and arms crossed in front of his face as his hair whipped around his head. Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha kept their footing, though the champion's hood was thrown back.

The surrounding Grimm went flying, blasted off the ship, and as they hit the mist they turned to solid ice, plunging to the ground. Ruby gaped as the Griffons and Nevermores dropped like flies, the smallest turning to statues while the largest lost their ability to fly and gracelessly fell.

The sky cleared, returning to its normal blue, and not a black speck was left. Arthur got to Matthew in time to catch him as he collapsed, skin pale and covered with sweat.

"I'm fine." He said shakily, voice slightly slurred. "Jus' tired…"

"Was that your  _Semblance_?" Ruby blurted, unable to stop herself. At his cautious nod, a stupid smile crossed her face. "That's… so…  _cool!_ "

Matthew winced.

Arthur put a hand to his brother's head, frowning unhappily. "You overdid it."

His tone was neither approving nor disapproving, which might not be a good sign if Ruby's experiences with a furious Professor Goodwitch were of any indication.

"Sorry." Matthew mumbled.

His brother's green eyes softened. "Let's find you a place to rest."

He made to lift his brother, only for Jaune to silently grab Matthew's legs and help. Arthur glared at him but did not object, and the group hurried back to the door leading into the ship. The crewmen were there along with a couple civilians. Upon seeing the Huntsmen, they broke into cheers, clapping loudly.

"Well done!"

"You did it!"

"You saved us."

"That was  _awesome!_ "

Ruby turned pink and looked down, twiddling her fingers awkwardly. Matthew seemed equally embarrassed by the attention, though his skin was too pale to redden. The passengers and crewmen hurriedly let Arthur, Jaune, and the exhausted twin through before converging back around the rest of the students. Someone patted on Ruby's left shoulder and she jumped, managing to smile at the woman congratulating her after a panicked pause.

The woman looked to Pyrrha and her thankful look faltered. "You're Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha's polite expression grew guarded. "Yes?"

A heavy silence fell over the crowd. Ruby scanned them, bewildered by the range of emotions she saw. Some made sense, like the wide eyes and shining grins of fans. But others… Some people looked…  _angry_.

Eyes never leaving the champion, the woman backed away and ran off. Other people drew back as well, while a few came closer, crowding around Pyrrha and talking loudly over each other. Ruby was not completely upset that she was shuffled to the side, merely relieved to be out of the mass of bodies. It was only because of her expulsion from the mob that she heard a man speak.

"I didn't know they let murderers on the ship…"

Ruby stared at the man, recognizing him as the one who bumped into her earlier. He recognized her as well and his expression changed, growing almost concerned.

"Don't associate with people like that, kid." He advised her softly, nodding at Pyrrha. "Winning and power matter more to them than anything, and they'll stab you in the back if it'll help themselves. They can't be trusted."

Ruby was too stunned to respond. The man nodded to her and walked deeper into the ship, leaving her floundering. Too late, she found her voice, but even then it came out as a soft whisper.

"She's… not…"

"Ruby?" She met Ren's worried gaze. "You okay?"

"Did you hear that?" Ruby asked, shocked.

The ninja's eyes darkened. "Yes. I thought this might happen. Everyone saw what happened in the Tournament, and they have drawn their own conclusions."

_Penny._

Anger ignited in Ruby's chest, burning away her confusion. She glared at the people sneering and whispering about Pyrrha, jaw clenched so hard her teeth crunched. What happened was not Pyrrha's fault.

Penny was her friend, but Ruby was able to see past what happened and know Pyrrha would never do such a thing intentionally. It was a horrible accident, and one Ruby knew her friend needn't be forgiven for. She was not to blame for Penny, or Beacon, or any of it. And yet people were turning her into a scapegoat and a target of their hate.

Ren put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't, Ruby." He warned. "Yelling at them will only make things worse in the long run."

"But I can change their minds." Ruby protested.

Ren shook his head sadly. "You won't. You'll only make them cling to their misguided beliefs more. That's how those types of people think." He exhaled, the slightest bit of frustration flashing through his stoic expression. "Pyrrha will be fine. Let it go."

Ruby begrudgingly saw his point. That did not make her happy in the slightest. If they were not stuck in a small space with these people for the next couple days, she would let them know how stupid they were, consequences be darned. Pyrrha was a hero. She helped stop Cinder, the orchestrator behind the fall of Beacon. Most importantly, she was Ruby's friend. How could people tarnish her name like that?

Thankfully, the crewmen insisted the Huntsmen go to the medbay to get checked up. Fighters or not, they were still passengers of the airship and the captain wanted to make sure they were all uninjured. When she entered the infirmary, Ruby was shocked to see Matthew was not the only one there. Gilbert was in a bed as well, complaining all the while.

"The awesome me is too amazing to be hurt!" he proclaimed irritably.

The nurse hovering over him rolled her eyes towards the ceiling but replied. "You took quite the fall, sir. We need to make sure you're okay."

Gilbert grumbled something under his breath in a language Ruby could not identify. The red-cloaked girl went up to Ludwig, nudging his arm to get his attention.

"What happened?" she asked.

The blond-haired man frowned at his brother. "Gilbert decided that jumping out a window and riding a Nevermore was a good idea."

"I succeeded in my goal." Gilbert told him proudly. "The fall of my enemy took many of its brethren with it!"

"And it almost took you, too." Ludwig growled. "If Francis had not caught you, you would have fallen to the ground."

"The awesome me would survive." Gilbert huffed.

Ludwig's eye twitched. "You need to be more careful. You're not as strong as you—" A heated red glare silenced him and he sighed. "Just do not do that again. You… frightened me."

Gilbert's glower softened. "I was fine. I will continue to be so. You will not lose me any time soon."

Ruby backed up awkwardly, unhappy that she had accidentally gotten caught in the middle of a heartfelt conversation. She sat next to Jaune, who was watching the brothers with a pensive expression.

"I can't believe he fought again…" she heard him murmur.

"Yeah, that's what Huntsmen do." Ruby reminded him.

Solemn blue eyes locked with silver and he spoke softly. "But he's not a Huntsman anymore because he was injured, remember?" His expression tightened. "I think it's internal damage. During the battle at Beacon he coughed up blood."

Ruby blanched, gaze snapping to Gilbert. The white-haired man was laughing with his brother, who looked like he was trying and failing to remain stern. Her stomach twisted into knots and she dropped her gaze to her hands.

"I forgot…"

Jaune winced. "Don't worry about it. Forget I said anything." He grimaced. "What bad luck…"

Ruby wondered if he was talking about the Grimm, Pyrrha's hood falling and revealing herself, or Gilbert's apparent condition. Maybe all three.

Feliciano's panicked entrance into the med bay diverted her thoughts. With a terrified 'Ve~!' he clung to Ludwig, eyes open and wild. Francis followed at a slower pace, glancing at Matthew worriedly before looking to the questioning Ludwig.

"Feliciano was startled by a black bird. A crow, if I'm not mistaken."

Brief explanation done, he hurried to Matthew's side, sitting on his bed and feeling his forehead. Ruby watched the twin accept his 'adoptive' brother's touch, smiling tiredly as he quietly assured him he was fine. Similarly, the rest of Team JNPR had gathered around Pyrrha, and as Ruby observed, something Jaune said made the solemn champion smile. The scenes made rocks join the knots in her stomach and she looked down, brutally aware of how alone she was in that moment.

She missed her team.

_We'll meet up again someday. We won't be separated forever._


	6. Seeds of Mistrust

"Does anyone feel like we're being watched?" Alfred asked.

"Don't say that." Roman groaned. "You're just asking for trouble."

Alfred's gaze roamed over the surrounding forest. The only sounds were the crunching of leaves beneath their feet, the creaking of tree limbs in the wind, and Roman's complaining. Yet he was unable to shake the sense of unease that trickled down his spine. The woods were too dense to see very far, but he swore something was there, just out of sight.

Watching.

Alfred took his bat from its sheathe and carried it, bouncing it on his other hand. "I don't mean to be a downer, but I think we're due for a Grimm attack. You keep going on about how many there are out here…"

" _Why_  are you so insistent on asking for trouble?" Roman demanded.

They all ignored him.

"We've been lucky so far. Your aggravating cheer has kept them away." Mercury informed Alfred dryly.

"Haha." he said flatly. Something moved in the shadows. "Sorry to disappoint…" He flipped the blue bat into an upright position in his hands.

Roman followed his gaze and swore. "God  _dammit_ , Alfred!"

The Beowolves swarmed from the forest like bees from a broken hive. Instinct took over and Alfred twisted his bat counterclockwise. The bat transformed in his hands and he fired the shotgun, sending a few of the front-runners crumpling to the ground. More shots joined his but the remaining Grimm merely ran over their fallen kin as they evaporated, bearing down on the humans.

Alfred turned his bat clockwise and a bayonet shot from the top. He held the bat below his should, parallel to the ground, and stabbed the closest Beowolf with a yell. He struck another hard enough to throw it through three other Grimm. A fifth Beowolf rushed him and he impaled it through the throat, tearing the bayonet free.

Something hit him from behind, landing on his back and he stumbled, only for Roman to shoot the Beowolf before it could force him to the ground. The orange-haired man's teeth were clenched and his knuckles were white around his cane.

"There's too many of them!" his hissed, eyes roaming the area wildly.

Alfred was hard-pressed to disagree. The forest was a swarm of writhing black, more and more Beowolves darting from the shadows as they were attracted to the humans' alarm. The pack must have been here for a while because there had to be hundreds of them. Hundreds against four humans.

_We won't lose._

Snarling, Alfred struck another Beowolf and it flew upwards, landing hard on its fellow Grimm. He vaguely recalled the feeling of the fight against Neo and to his delight, a gale rushed from his palm, blasting a hole in the swarm of Grimm. Deciding he was now the greatest threat, the Beowolves surged towards him.

Alfred shoved them away with bursts of air, intentionally blowing them upward so the impact on the ground would hopefully kill them. Given a moment to breathe, he saw Mercury tearing through a horde of the Beowolves, legs slicing through them like they were made of butter. Roman preferred long-range strikes, shooting into groups and letting the explosions of his flare gun take them out.

For a heart-stopping second, Alfred did not spot Neo, but she was near the tree line, grinning viciously as she danced through the Grimms' ranks and stabbed them with her umbrella. The amnesiac shot a few stragglers, dodging an Alpha's claws, and hit it directly in the face with a shotgun blast. It fell with a thud and three more Alphas took its place.

One grabbed and lifted him by the shoulders but Alfred stabbed his bayonet through its shoulder, slicing off its arm. The amnesiac landed on his butt and rolled, slashing at the second Alpha as he went. He nearly fell into a Beowolf's claws but got his weapon up just in time, shooting it. Before he could rise, the last Alpha grabbed him by the leg and threw him.

Alfred struck a tree, leaves and dislodged twigs falling down on him. The blow was cushioned by his Aura but still caused pain to shoot up his spine, leaving him immobile and stunned. Seeing his distraction, the Alpha tackled him.

The creature pinned Alfred down, one arm trapped beneath him while the other was pressed uselessly against his chest. He struggled and thrashed but more Beowolves piled onto him, preventing him from breaking free. A few grabbed him with their teeth, pulling him towards the trees. Panic gripped Alfred and he struggled harder, searching desperately for assistance. He saw Neo standing alone nearby, umbrella pointed at the ground, and screamed her name.

" _Neo!_ "

She turned to him, mismatched eyes widening slightly. A Beowolf blocked Alfred's view and to his horror he felt the Beowolves biting and clawing at him, trying to break through his Aura. He managed to buck a few off but more took their place, intent on killing their prey. He needed help. He needed Neo. She saw he was in trouble. Where was she? She had to help. She had to—

Alfred felt his Aura break.

He felt pricks of pain in his arms, legs, and stomach.

He felt teeth around his throat.

Shock soon transformed into numb realization.

_I'm going to die. Nononono_ _**no** _ _. I can't die. I don't want to die!_

— _H_ _ **e**_ _l_ _ **aY**_ _in_ _ **a mE**_ _taL C_ _ **oF**_ _fi_ _ **n**_ _,_ _ **h**_ _E_ _ **lp**_ _Le_ _ **s**_ _s_ _ **a**_ _S h_ _ **Is**_ _ **liF**_ _e d_ _ **RIf**_ _T_ _ **e**_ _d_ _ **aWaY**_ _—_

**CRUNCH**

The Alpha keeled sideways before it could rip out his jugular, a booted foot kicking it off of Alfred. Mercury tore through the Beowolves like a tornado, kicking them aside with enough strength to send them through the trees. Faltering before his assault, the remaining Beowolves fled into the trees, though many were shot by Roman before they could escape.

As the sounds of pounding paws and cracking gunshots faded, the battlefield grew silent. Alfred rose into a sitting position, trembling slightly, and reached up to touch his throat. When he lowered them, his fingers had spots of red on them. Mercury was at his side in an instant.

"Let me see." He demanded.

Dazed, Alfred exposed his neck, allowing his friend to inspect it. Mercury also grabbed his arms and lifted his shirt to check his stinging stomach, and the amnesiac was too numb to even think of protesting. After a tense pause, Mercury released his shirt and leaned back on his heels.

"The teeth nicked your skin. It should heal up soon." He said in a clipped tone.

Alfred nodded, unable to find his voice. His heart still pounded, and he saw his hands were still trembling. Mercury briefly put a reassuring hand on his upper back before digging in his bag and grabbing some bandages. He gently wrapped Alfred's neck in silence before moving on to his stomach. The amnesiac's eyes followed the small trails of blood the Grimms' claws had left and he shuddered.

"Thank you." Alfred blurted in a wheezy voice, still shaking.

Mercury brushed a stray lock of grey hair away from his eye, looking slightly past him. "Don't mention it." He muttered. Then he turned to Roman. "We'd better keep moving."

The orange-haired man nodded. "Neo?"

The girl crept closer. Alfred's eyes locked on her, searching her face without quite knowing why. Her jaw was tight and her pink and brown eyes were dark with anger. Was she upset that she had not made it in time to help him?

_Or is she upset I survived?_

Alfred shook his head to try to discard the thought. That was ridiculous. Neo was his friend.

So why wouldn't the niggling suspicion leave?

Frustrated, he shoved it to the back of his mind and stood up, holding his weapon close to his chest. Good old Cobalt Striker. He could always rely on her. And apparently Mercury and Roman. But Neo…

_She stood there and_ _**watched—** _

_**Stop it** _ _, brain._

"I can walk. We can get moving." Alfred informed them, voice regaining its stability and strength.

They did not argue, and the four quickly continued their trek through the woods, walking faster than they had before and eying their surroundings carefully. Roman and Mercury were soon back to arguing, though Alfred did not mind. Their fights were entertaining, and helped him not to sink into his thoughts… Thoughts that soon plagued him again as Neo skipped beside him, shooting him a smile. Was that concern he spotted?

_Or is it fake?_

Alfred gave her a brilliant— fake— smile of his own. "Don't worry, Neo. I'm okay. What happened was not your fault."

She relaxed and gave her usual nod. She believed him.

Alfred was not sure he believed her.

_She_ _**stood there** _ _and_ _**watched** _ _._

There was a memory somewhere, buried in his muddled brain. He could feel it. But he could not recall it.

He could, however, recall the feeling that accompanied it.

_Don't trust Neo._

Alfred kept his unease off his face, instead smiling as Roman and Mercury snapped at each other.

It took him five hours to realize he had remembered the name of his weapon.

XXXXXXX

"You and I need to talk."

It took a moment for Canada to register who had spoken the words, and once he did, he was ashamed to note his heart went into overdrive. He looked up at the imposing Russian standing over him and did his best not to smile nervously.

"Okay, eh." Canada stammered, his verbal tic blossoming with his nerves. He looked to Jaune and Pyrrha, who he had been sitting with. "I'll be right back."

Jaune nodded absently as he stared into space, not noticing his discomfort.

The more observant Pyrrha, however, could see it as clear as day. Her green eyes grew wary but she seemingly agreed. "All right."

Canada could not decide whether he wanted her to come after him or not if he did not return soon. As they walked deeper into the ship, the halls grew steadily smaller and more crowded. While Russia plowed through people and sent them scurrying with a smile if they looked ready to argue, Canada opted to press himself against the wall to inch around passengers.

One such passenger was talking to a flight attendant. Though calling the conversation 'talking' might be rather untruthful.

"—unhappy with this vessel's policies about individuals allowed on this ship." The woman was snapping.

The poor flight attendant grew increasingly harried even as she maintained her smile. "I understand, ma'am. I'll talk with the captain about your concerns."

The passenger was not satisfied and continued to snarl at the poor woman, her words growing low and sharp as she snapped at the attendant. Canada would stop to intervene but Russia's warning stare kept him moving along.

He followed the other nation into the empty family bathroom, trying to ignore the instincts that were screaming that this was a bad idea. Another voice that sounded a lot like America told him not to let the bastard intimidate him and Canada felt his heartbeat slow as terror became mere unease. It quickened again when Russia locked the door behind them and turned to him.

"I discovered something quite interesting during our fight earlier." Russia informed him with a smile. "However, it also upset me very much. We are allies,  _da_?"

"Yes." Canada said warily.

"And allies share information,  _da_?"

Canada nodded mutely.

Russia kept smiling. It did not reach his violet eyes. Smiles never did. "Why did you not tell me we can have awakened Aura? I only found out from Prussia, and he did not mean to tell me." His tone was soft, like it always was, but held a hint of danger that sent an icy chill up Canada's spine.

Heart in his throat, Canada somehow managed to meet his cold eyes. "It wasn't necessary."

"I am thinking it is." Russia stepped closer, towering over Canada, and  _smiled_. "I was thinking we should all have this Aura,  _da_?"

Canada's jaw locked. "No."

Russia's head tipped curiously, seemingly not angered by his refusal. "Why not?"

Strangely enough, the childish look— and implied threat?— did not cow Canada. Instead the chill left him, and he steadily locked eyes with Russia. "Because I don't trust you with Aura." Canada declared. "You'll use it to try to strong-arm other nations into 'becoming one' with you."

"You are being very rude." Russia did not deny his accusation. "You are fine with France having Aura. You activated Prussia and England's Auras as well,  _da_?"

Russia grabbed his arm. Even with his Aura, Canada winced, feeling the pressure around his bicep. If he did not have his 'force field', he was certain his arm would be broken. The other nation kept his smile, seemingly ignorant to the pain he was causing his 'ally'.

"I insist that you activate my Aura, please."

Canada swallowed and shook his head. " _No_. This is exactly why I won't. Forget about it."

He winced as Russia's fingers tightened. He could feel his humerus creaking.

"You are being silly." Russia informed him. "I am asking nicely."

The last remnants of Canada's fear washed away, replaced by rage.  _This_  was why he refused.  _This_  was why he did not trust Russia. He knew that the nation would use the powers he gained with Aura to harm others, and he refused to let that happen.

"I said  _forget about it_." Canada snapped.

Russia went still, grip going slack. Canada took the opportunity to yank his arm from the larger nation's grasp. He ripped the bathroom door open and raced through the airship, trying to calm his frantic breathing. He just stood up against Russia.  _Russia_. This was bad. This was very bad. Russia may not be the Soviet Union anymore but he was still more than a little unstable and dangerous.

_Maple, I'm doomed._

Canada returned to the crowded viewing gallery and saw his human friends were all there. Thank God. Canada rushed to the closest one— Ren— and nearly crashed into him. The ninja unknowingly grabbed his bruised arm to balance him, making him wince.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked.

"Fine." Canada said briskly. He glanced over his shoulder nervously and rubbed his arm.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha demanded, also spotting his nervousness.

"Nothing." Canada blurted. He touched a tender spot on his arm and winced.

Ren gently grabbed his sleeve, maneuvering him out of his hoodie before he could protest. His arm was already bruised and slightly swollen.

"What happened?" Ruby gasped.

"Whose legs do we need to break?" Nora asked darkly.

"Nothing. No one's." Canada said quickly. "It's fine."

Ren gently touched his purplish skin, studying his face carefully. "Does that hurt?"

"Not as much anymore." Canada said truthfully. "Look, it'll be gone soon."

He shoved his hoodie back on. Nora looked past him with narrowed eyes and he turned, stomach dropping when he saw Russia enter the gallery. Surprisingly, the nation did not appear angry. Nor did he smile creepily. Instead he simply came over and leaned on the wall beside a silent Nora. Canada saw the girl's hands twitch towards her hammer but she thankfully refrained from smashing Russia through the floor. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, and Canada scrambled to find a way to divert his friends' suspicions.

"So what did you two talk about?" Jaune asked carefully, glancing between Canada and Russia.

Russia gave him a blank look and creepy smile. "What talk are you speaking of?"

"Never mind." The knight mumbled.

They sat in uncomfortable silence, too uneasy to relax but too worried to find an excuse to get away. Russia did not bring up Aura again. Canada knew it would only be a matter of time before he did. He knew Russia would not give up that easily.

His violet gaze roamed over his friends and his stomach did a somersault. He knew that once Russia realized they could also activate his Aura, the nation would not hesitate to force them to assist him. That was how Russia worked. He did whatever he must to get what he wanted, and either did not care or did not realize he was hurting people in the process. That was why Canada could not let him get Aura. If he did, then the balances in the world— especially for the Baltics and others Russia always had an eye on— would irreversibly shift.

_I won't cause the second Cold War. Or World War III._

He could only hope that the other Auraless nations would not press the issue. Call Canada a hypocrite, but he trusted them more than Russia. That did not mean he wanted them to have Aura and Semblances. If they were from a more united world, he'd consider it but… nations could always change for the worse.

_At times like this, I wish that the other nations never found out we were capable of having Aura._


	7. Outcast

The airship landed elegantly in the town of Shion, making its descent with utmost poise and grace. The first passenger off the ship was anything but graceful, rushing out like a man on fire and dunking his head in the closest trash bin. Doing her best to tune out the horrid noises, Pyrrha hurried after Jaune and carefully brushed stray locks of blond hair away from his face. After a few moments, the knight stood up, looking slightly pale and queasy.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked him.

"I'm good." He replied thickly. He wiped at his brow and grimaced. "Damn. I thought I didn't get airsick anymore…"

"The long ride is probably what did it." Matthew mentioned as he and the others walked up to the pair.

Pyrrha knew they had been standing back— away from the danger zone— but could not resent them for it. Especially not when Francis looked ill just from hearing the sounds. As her gaze swept over the group she did a double take, noticing the bags they all were carrying. Ren handed her one of the three he was holding and she identified it as her own and the other he held as Jaune's.

Pyrrha frowned at the bag, perplexed, then looked at her friends searchingly. "Why are we carrying our luggage?"

"I thought it best to bring our belongings with us." Arthur said stiffly. "I don't trust the airship's service. Besides, we have little enough to carry."

The champion's first thought was that he was worried someone would steal something but the way his green eyes lingered on the airship made her wonder if it was something else. General mistrust in their competence, maybe? It was true that there were few secure places for luggage in the vessel…

Pyrrha decided not to press the issue and they began walking through the town. The streets were not quite busy, but had a healthy amount of people, many of whom smiled at the visitors in a friendly manner. Some still tried to push through the group of 'tourists', and Jaune gripped Pyrrha's hand to keep them from being separated.

"So what did you want to show us?" Ruby asked Jaune.

"I'm taking you all to the trail my family used to go to." The knight replied eagerly, looking at Pyrrha. "We can't stay there long but there's this beautiful view of the forest and a lake. I think you'll love it."

The champion smiled. "I'm certain I will."

They walked into the woods. The leaves above them were a beautiful emerald green, the edges of each leaf tinted golden from the sunlight. A few fallen leaves crunched beneath their feet and Pyrrha looked down at the path, watching the specks of light that made it through the foliage dance like stars on the ground.

The distant chirps of birds and rustles of other benign creatures soothed her and she walked in silence, content to listen to the sounds of nature. The others also appreciated the sense of peace the walk brought for none of them spoke. Even Nora was quiet, eyes half closed in satisfaction.

After half an hour, Jaune gave a small, excited exclamation. His footsteps quickened and he pulled Pyrrha along, grin widening as he headed towards the golden veil of sunlight up ahead. The pair emerged from the forest first, and the champion's breath caught in her throat.

In front of them, the land swooped down into a valley of greens, golds, and blues, the lush forest reflecting perfectly in the sparkling lake down below. Shifted by both the wind and small animals darting unseen on the ground, the leaves rustled softly, whispering the trees' secrets as birds sang in their boughs. It looked like a scene from a painting, beautiful and calming and bright, and Pyrrha could stare at the dancing lights reflecting off the water for hours. A sense of peace washed over her as she took in the stunning expanse of greens and blue before her. Jaune's hand squeezed hers and she looked to see him smiling sunnily at her.

"Isn't it great?" he whispered.

"It is." She agreed. "It's so… peaceful."

Jaune glanced at his Scroll. "We have a bit of time before we need to go back. Want to sit for a bit?"

She nodded and they settled down at the edge of the valley. Pyrrha hesitantly leaned against Jaune and relaxed, hardly noticing at the others sat nearby them. Other than the occasional murmur, they simply sat and listened to the breeze and the birds, and watched the wind make small ripples in the shimmering water below.

Pyrrha almost wanted to fall asleep but she did not want to miss any of this. Here there were no Grimm, no expectations, and no sorrow. A part of her wished they could stay in the valley forever.

But they could not.

Soon they ran out of time, and although the return trip was unhurried and mellow, Pyrrha could feel her contentment fading away with every step. She slowed down, unconsciously releasing Jaune's hand, and trailed at the back, looking longingly at the beautiful green forest. Pyrrha hardly noticed when she stopped near the entrance of the airship and people walked around her. Her gaze was only on the distant trees.

_We need to come back someday_ , she decided.  _For vacation, not on business. We need to go camping and hiking with no deadlines to worry about._

For now, they had their mission to complete. Sighing, Pyrrha went to follow her friends.

"Excuse me!"

Pyrrha's steps slowed as a flight attendant hurried away from the entrance and up to her. She patiently waited for the woman to stop in front of her, smiling politely. "Yes?"

The flight attendant hesitated but cleared her throat. "I apologize but you cannot come back on, Ms."

"What?" Pyrrha faltered but quickly realized what must be wrong. She began digging through her pockets. "Oh! I have my ticket right here—"

The flight attendant shook her head. "I am aware, Ms. Nikos. But I cannot allow you onto the ship."

Pyrrha let her hand drop from the bag she had been digging through, thoroughly lost and confused. "I… don't understand?" she questioned.

The woman crossed her arms, clearly uncomfortable. She glanced at two of her crewmates that hovered nearby and relaxed, meeting Pyrrha's bewildered eyes. "Multiple passengers have come to us with… concerns."

"'Concerns'?" Pyrrha echoed faintly.

The attendant sighed, expression growing stony and irritated. "Let me be blunt, Ms. Nikos. Your presence is scaring and angering people. That will attract Grimm."

"…What?" Pyrrha repeated blankly.

The others finally noticed she was not with them and hurried back, with Jaune in the lead. The knight's blue eyes flicked between Pyrrha and the attendant before narrowing.

"Is something wrong?" he asked courteously.

Now outnumbered, the flight attendant could not quite meet his eyes. "Your… companion is barred from the airship."

"What?!" Ruby exploded, silver eye flashing. "Wha—  _Why?_ "

"Did we accidentally break something?" Jaune asked. He retrieved his wallet from his pocket. "If we did, I'm sure we can pay to replace it—"

"You did not break anything." The flight attendant assured him uncomfortably. "Your companion is the only one not allowed to board. It is within our right to deny passage to anyone whose presence… troubles other passengers."

"That's  _preposterous_." Arthur spat, pushing through the crowd to stand next to Pyrrha. "You're booting her off because others don't like her? That's a load of bollocks."

The woman quailed beneath his glare but straightened her back. "It isn't that. Their negativity will attract Grimm. That puts our customers in danger and thus we have every right to refuse entry to her."

Arthur's green eyes narrowed further and he looked at Jaune and Ruby. Pyrrha could not decipher the message that passed between them but at the girl and man's nods, the knight looked back to the flight attendant.

"Then it looks like you have thirteen less passengers to worry about. We're staying with our  _friend_  and  _fellow Huntress_." Jaune hissed.

The flight attendant's jaw clenched and she gave a jerky nod. "Very well. Good day, sirs."

She stalked into the ship, happy to be rid of them. The group watched the airship lift into the sky. For a second, Pyrrha thought Ruby or Nora might try to shoot it down, but the two merely glowered after it with such intensity that the champion was surprised it did not burst into flames. Once the sound of its engines faded, Jaune gave an angry snarl.

"I can't  _believe_  this! How can they be so rude?"

Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's fine—"

"It's not 'fine'." Arthur interrupted. He too glared in the direction of the retreating airship, a furious snarl on his face. "I'm sure their superiors will be  _ecstatic_  to hear about this…"

Pyrrha rubbed the inside of her elbow awkwardly. "I do not want to cause trouble for anyone—"

Arthur's glare silenced her. "I will not 'cause trouble'. I will make them regret treating you with such disgusting disrespect. You are a customer of theirs, and yet they treated you like rubbish. You have your prepaid ticket. You are not ill or intoxicated. You were not causing a scene and you  _certainly_  were not attracting Grimm. They had no right to deny you entry and I will ensure there are consequences."

"I agree." Jaune said vehemently.

"I'd still rather not cause a fuss." Pyrrha told them uncomfortably. "Truly, it isn't worth it to—"

"What if it was Ruby they refused to let on board?" Matthew interjected quietly. "Or Jaune?"

Pyrrha jumped. She had almost forgotten that the twin and the others were there. She glanced from person to person and saw similar anger and disgust on all their faces. She forced herself to only look at Matthew. "That's different—"

"How?" Matthew questioned. His chin tipped down slightly and his violet eyes narrowed. "Just because you're a public figure doesn't mean they can turn you into a scapegoat."

Pyrrha's jaw snapped shut at his blunt declaration. An awkward silence fell over them all, so different from the earlier, peaceful quiet. Then Francis put a hand on Arthur's arm, making the other man twitch.

"There is little we can do about the boorish service for now." He said calmly. "We still need to get to our destination."

"Are there any other airships?" Ruby asked.

"If there are, I don't trust them." Arthur snarled.

"Ve~ What about a car or a train?" Feliciano offered.

Ren shook his head. "I doubt that any trains travel out this far. They usually only go through the bigger cities because they need to be defended from Grimm."

"And I doubt anyone here has a car we can loan." Ludwig added solemnly, looking around at the rather low-tech village.

They all looked to Ruby and Matthew, who exchanged a glance. The blond-haired twin tipped his head, letting the red-cloaked girl make the final decision. She was quiet for a long pause, thinking it over. Then she sighed.

"I don't think we have much of a choice. It looks like we're walking to Mistral."

XXXXXXX

_The city of Wind Path was busy, the crowded streets full nearly to the brim with people. They headed to their destinations, some hurried, others methodical, but because of them, because they merely_ _**existed** _ _, the city brimmed with energy and_ _**life** _ _. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ pushed through the masses, mindful of pickpockets and people's toes, but t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ steps were light and an easy smile settled on t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ face. Many would despise being so close to others, wishing to escape the mob as quickly as possible, but V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ cherished the bustle of the city even though it was not t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓s._

_A hand tapped t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ arm and V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ turned, looking down when t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓r first glance revealed no one. A short girl with brown and pink hair and eyes stood there, grinning a sly grin that was hauntingly familiar._

" _Who…?" V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ began before comprehension dawned. A genuine smile stretched across zir face. "Mistral?"_

_The girl's grin widened and she nodded._

" _It_ _ **is**_ _you!" V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ beamed. "I haven't seen you since the war. When did you change?"_

' _Change' was a polite way of asking when they most recently resurrected—_ But what did that mean? What were they?

_Mistral shrugged vaguely and typed on her Scroll, saying she changed less than two decades ago after a run-in with some bandits. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ winced in sympathy but did not apologize for asking. That was the way things were. Their kind died and was reborn._

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ and Mistral walked down the streets together, taking in the sights. It was surprising how easily they fell into step next to each other, exuding a strong comradery that made even the rudest citizens not want to push their way between them. It had been years since they last saw the other, but V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ supposed that being one of the few reincarnating souls in Remnant tended to keep people closer despite the passage of time._

" _How have you been?" V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ asked. "Have you gotten your government to recognize you again yet?"_

_Mistral shook her head, clearly unhappy._

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ frowned, equally upset. "That's unfair. You represent their people. You're important."_

_Mistral turned red, looking down and scuffing her foot. It made V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ smile even as t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ heart squeezed with sorrow. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ knew Mistral did not have it easy. Ever since the war, the leaders of Mistral tended to be…_ _**resistant** _ _to listening to their representative. As in, they did not even believe she existed. At best, they thought she was a fraud. At worst, they saw her as mentally unsound._

_A part of V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ suspected that Mistral might be cursed so her government refused to listen to her, doomed by a greedy fool who ignored her pleas to stop oppressing the outer villages during the war and blamed her for the Kingdom's eventual loss of said war. Though if V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ had to make a more grounded guess, V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ would blame the politics of Mistral for the representative's recurring bad luck in getting her own people to even believe she was real._

_It was telling that the personified representation of the Kingdom of Mistral could not speak._

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ emerged from t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ thoughts and smiled at Mistral. "So what's your new name? We are in public, after all."_

_She smiled back and typed on her Scroll._

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ blinked and laughed. "Neopolitan?"_

_Mistral flipped her multi-colored hair over her shoulder and winked._

" _It suits you, Neo." V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ informed her, amused. "Do you know of any good cafes around here? We should sit somewhere and catch up."_

_Mistral— Neo, grinned eagerly and put her hand in t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ pocket, taking out t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ wallet and waving it in t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ face._

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ snorted and took it back. "Fine, I'll pay this time. Next time it's your turn."_

_Neo grinned innocently, nodding in agreement. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ sighed mentally. Tḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ knew she would not keep her promise._

Alfred snapped awake. His lungs stopped working, his limbs froze, and paralysis gripped him, leaving him trapped in his body—  _wrong wrong it felt so_ _ **wrong**_ _._  His sleeping back pressed down on him, his clothes were too tight, and his flesh constricted around his bones like his very skin didn't belong to him—

As quickly as the terror gripped him, it trickled away, leaving Alfred gasping for breath. He clawed his way out of his sleeping bag and sat up, hunched over as he attempted to regulate his breathing. He rubbed circles on his chest and gagged, curling up more to try to ward off being sick. He dragged his hands down his face and looked at his fingers, noting the thickness of the digits.

The hands in the dream were thinner. They were his hands but not. A… woman's hands.

_Change. Resurrection._

Thoughts that accompanied the dream— memory?— that did not make sense. But they did. Had he 'changed'? Was that why he felt like a stranger in his own skin?

_What am I?_

The thought he had been avoiding crept up on him and he shuddered. He huddled in his sleeping bag and was struck by the differences in his body when compared to the dream once again. He rubbed at his arms again and— desperate for a distraction— began digging through his pockets. All of his pants pockets were empty, as were the two at the bottom of his coat.

His fingers twitched and the feeling of choking swamped him, taking away his air. In his desperate attempt to rip the suffocating jacket off, his hand brushed his chest and he felt a small bump.

His breathing slowing, Alfred opened his coat and felt a zipper on the inside. Curious, he carefully opened the pocket and retrieved a wallet. Closer inspection in the dim light of the fire showed it had a cute bunny on the front. He cracked a grin and opened the wallet.

Inside the wallet was what looked like paperwork, an identification card— Alfred F. Jones. His full name. His name.  _His_.— and some money. A small slip of bright white paper caught his attention and he carefully pulled it out, unfolding it. It was a note. Biting his lip, he squinted and read the elegant, looping writing.

_Hey, A. Look, I made sure you didn't lose this! I know you'd throw a fit if you did._

_Please wake up soon._

_~M._

M. M like the first letter of the name of his dead brother.

But also 'M' like Mistral.

Alfred chose to follow the second, less painful thought rather than consider the one who had written the note. He— She?— had called Neo 'Mistral' in the memory. Mistral, as in someone who represented the Kingdom of Mistral. She— Him in the dream— thought about it, and the injustice of Neo failing to be recognized. Nations existed as people. Somehow. It sounded like a fantasy but he knew in his heart that it was real, like the sky or the sun...

Or that he had a past with Neo.

Shame rushed through Alfred. He'd doubted Neo when they clearly were friends. The memory proved that. She—  _He_ felt so comfortable with Mistral. He trusted her. So why didn't the unease twisting his gut cease?

_Don't trust Neo._

Alfred put the note and wallet back in his pocket and laid back down, staring at the starry sky. The memory played again in his mind, clear but without context, and an unnerving uncertainty gripped his thoughts.

War.

Change.

Death.

Resurrection.

Mistral.

Nations.

Neo.

_Don't trust Neo._

_Neo is Mistral?_

The confusion made his head ache, and his heart. In fact, his chest was burning. Alfred rubbed at it, wincing, and—  _A dark, red-eyed shape clambering on a destroyed building flashed through his vision._  His eyes snapped open and he clapped a hand to his mouth to keep from retching.

_What was that?_

That building— that city?— was zirs— his. The city in the dream was not his—Zirs? Hers? So other cities  _were_  hers—  _his_.

Alfred's skull wanted to split open. He uselessly grappled with his incoherent thoughts, settling on one of the few he could hope to understand.  _What does that mean?_

Surprisingly, his mind supplied an answer.

_Neo is the personification of Mistral._

It was not a question this time because he  _knew_  it was true. Like how he knew how to fight and what Grimm were and that he had a brother. His dream was not a dream. It was a memory. It was  _real_.

So if  _Neo_  was a nation…

Was Alfred one too?


	8. Friends Like These

Air travel was a beautiful thing. So was car travel. And travel by sea. In fact, all transportation that made traveling quicker was wonderful. Canada remembered the days where a person could not fly across a country to get to their destination within a day or two. He had to say, he did not miss it.

The nations, JNPR, and Ruby had been walking for several days now, and although their trek had been sunny and Grimm-free so far, it still was not the easiest. They'd been mostly prepared to rough it during their trip, but they had fewer supplies then they should. Towns were few and far between, and even when they did reach them they would have to watch their spending. Food and shelter were the priorities, especially considering that putting up a tent every night would only slow them down and delay their progress.

_Not to mention the Grimm…_

"You know, this isn't so bad." Jaune commented.

"Don't say that!" Italy wailed. "Bad things always happen when people say that!"

"Sorry for being optimistic." The knight said, mostly sincere. "But I think we've been doing well, all things considering."

"It hasn't rained since we started walking and the weather had been fair." Ren added his two cents. "And we should reach the next village by nightfall."

"Oh, thank God." France groaned. "I cannot stand being in the woods for so long. Look at my hair!"

"Your hair is fine." Canada reassured him truthfully. "It's only a little dirty."

"Only a  _little?!_ " France cried, grabbing his blond locks and staring at them wildly.

"So what town are we coming up on?" Ruby interjected before the vain Frenchman could freak out. She squinted at the map Germany was carrying. "Hih-gan-bann-ah?"

"Higanbana." Japan corrected her.

"The town has a tavern and inn." Ren said. "We should have enough money to room there."

Prussia sidled up beside the pink-eyed ninja, red eyes bright and eager. "Enough about the inn. Did I hear you say 'tavern'?"

"We're not spending our money on beer." England warned. "I also don't want to drag your drunk arse back to the inn."

"You speak as if you can tell me 'no'." The red-eyed nation said with a goading smirk.

Canada pushed between them before an argument could start. "Please don't. You might attract something if you fight."

"You're jinxing us more…" Italy wailed quietly.

"Don't be a baby." Russia scoffed, making the Italian freeze in fright. "We should have no problem killing any Grimm that try to bother us,  _da_?"

"There will be plenty of time for us to run into them." Pyrrha said— to draw the Russian's attention away from Italy or to keep him from trying to attract Grimm, Canada didn't know. "Let's not press our luck." She frowned lightly. "With all the horror stories I heard from the smaller villages, I honestly expected us to have more trouble."

The hair on Canada's nape prickled. His steps slowed and he looked behind them, scanning the cliffs behind them only to see nothing. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Maybe we should have…" Canada muttered.

"What was that?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing." The nation said quickly. "Let's hurry so we can get to town before dark."

XXXXXXX

The inn was a warm, welcome sight after days in the woods. Everyone relaxed as soon as they stepped over the threshold, a small bell ringing to alert the staff of their presence. The innkeeper looked up from what he was working on behind the counter, eyes widening slightly as he spotted Canada. To the nation's surprise, he smiled warmly.

"You're back already?" the innkeeper said. He blinked and did a double take. "Oh. I apologize. I thought you were someone else."

Canada paused, puzzled by his comment. Then understanding clicked and his heart leaped into his throat.

_No way._

France stepped in front of him before he could comment. "It's fine." He said for the violet-eyed nation. "Now, we'd like some rooms—"

"Wait." Canada blurted, shoving his way back to the front. "You saw my brother?"

Comprehension dawned on the others. France froze. England stiffened. Ruby perked up. Nora's elated gasp was quickly muffled by something— likely Ren's hand. Canada did not look to see, attention fully on the innkeeper.

"Oh, so he's your brother? That explains it." The man said. "I saw him all right. Only a glimpse of him as he was coming in with those others but it was enough." He shook his head, eyes glazed in reminiscence. "He definitely left an impression. He had such interesting eyes. One was blue and the other was green."

The blood in Canada's veins turned to ice.

The man didn't notice. He laughed. "Though I guess you already know that."

Canada planted a polite smile on his face. "Right."

He could feel intense stares burning into his back. He did not need to look to know three came from England, Japan, and Russia.

"'Others'?" Jaune interjected. "There were other people with him?"

"Two men and a girl." The innkeeper said. "Why? Are they friends of yours?"

"Maybe." Canada said evasively. "Could you describe them?"

The man tapped his fingers on the counter. "Well… I remember the girl, mostly. Not a lot of people have pink and brown hair and eyes."

Ruby turned bone white. Germany noticed and put a comforting hand on her shoulder while Italy hovered, looking anxious. Canada's heart pounded in his chest.

_Calm down,_ he told himself. _America didn't know about Neo._   _They never met. It doesn't mean anything._

"And the men?" Japan asked, voice the slightest bit shaky.

"I think one had grey hair— he was young, mind you— and the other had orange." The innkeeper revealed slowly. "The orange-haired guy might have been wearing a bowler hat?"

_Mercury Black and Roman Torchwick._ Canada thought _. No. No. No no nono_ _ **no**_ _._

"It's been weeks. I don't remember much." The innkeeper continued apologetically. He finally noticed their horrified expressions. "Is everything all right?"

"Fine." Canada said faintly. "Was… my brother..."  _Injured? Tied up?_   _Himself?_  "…okay?"

"I honestly can't say. Like I said, I just saw a glimpse of him. He ducked his head as soon as our eyes met. Now that I think about it he looked kind of uneasy…" The innkeeper trailed off, going over the scene again in his mind. His brow furrowed and he paled. "Do I need to call the police?"

For a second, Canada thought he was talking about them, only to notice his expression. The innkeeper had the horrified look of someone who realized they might have unknowingly witnessed something terrible and had done nothing to stop it.

_Like criminals dragging around a kidnapping victim._

"That won't be necessary." England said firmly. "We'd like rooms, please."

The man bit his lip, clearly distressed. "But if your friend has been kidnapped I really think I should—"

Canada grabbed the innkeeper's arm before he could pick up his Scroll. They could not involve local law enforcement. That would only muck things up further.

"Please don't." he begged. "Just forget about it."

The man blinked, limp arm dropping from the nation's hold. His dazed expression cleared and he shook himself. "How many rooms would you like?" he asked, tone professional once more.

"Three rooms next to each other should suffice." England said promptly.

They paid and received their keys in silence. They all filed into one of the rooms, and Canada did not even bother looking around at it, instead heading straight to the bed and sitting down heavily. He put his head in his hands, gripping his hair.

"Matthew…?" Pyrrha said softly.

Any response Canada might have given was interrupted by Italy.

"Neo and Torchwick have Alfred." he whispered.

"We know." Prussia said.

"Neo and Torchwick  _have Alfred._ " Italy emphasized.

"We  _know._ " Prussia snapped.

Italy flinched but still looked at the angry red-eyed nation, open fear in his expression. "You don't understand! They're the evil criminals who hurt—"

Germany clapped a hand over the Italian's mouth. "Feliciano, don't just—"

"They're the ones who worked with Cinder and took my eye." Ruby quietly finished for the Italian.

Japan flinched visibly. Canada watched him retreat to the wall and lean against it, posture stiff. His expression was blank but the violet-eyed twin could still spot the guilt swimming in his dark eyes.

"So Alfred is a prisoner of dangerous people?" Russia asked, head tipped.

"It appears so." Ren answered, giving the Russian a neutral look.

"I expected as much…" Canada whispered.

"What do you mean?" England asked sharply.

_Of course_  the nation heard him that time. The violet-eyed twin's mouth went dry. Right. None of them knew about Vale and that Cinder's faction was after America because he was now a nation of Remnant. Before he could try to explain while  _not_  explaining and causing a fight, Pyrrha spoke.

"Cinder was after Alfred during the battle at Beacon." The champion revealed quietly. "I don't know why. I'm sorry."

England's eyed narrowed suspiciously but he said nothing.

_Crap._

Ruby straightened, a determined fire lighting in her eye. "Neo and Torchwick worked for Cinder. They must be taking Alfred to the other people responsible for what happened. We need to hurry and get him back!"

"But we don't know exactly where they're taking him." Jaune pointed out reluctantly.

"We didn't know that before, but now we knew we're on the right track." Ruby said. "We know who is with Alfred— Two of them, anyway—"

"The other is probably Mercury Black." Canada mentioned unhappily.

Ruby paused, mouth opening and shutting as shock and grief flashed across her expression. She looked to Canada. "…Emerald…?" she asked, voice strained and quiet.

_I never told her_ , he realized numbly. His gaze dropped to his clenched hands. "She's the one with the hallucination Semblance. She used it on Yang." He saw Pyrrha twitch in the corner of his eye but did not mention it.

The silver-eyed girl did not need him to elaborate. "Oh." Was Ruby's faint response. She took a breath and cleared her throat. "O-Okay then. The point is, we're close. They're probably heading to Mistral, and if we hurry, we have a chance of catching up and rescuing Alfred!"

"Ve~ Do you think he's okay?" Italy asked, concerned. "Those criminals are…" He cringed slightly. "…sadistic."

"I'm certain the innkeeper would have said something if Alfred was injured." Pyrrha assured him.

"But he didn't notice many things, now did he?" Russia countered. "Only Alfred's fear."

"And green eye…" Jaune muttered thoughtfully, frowning at the floor.

Thankfully, England did not hear him, though Germany shot the knight a suspicious look.

"Let's go to bed now and leave early the next morning." England decided. "We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Okay." Ruby agreed. Her eye darkened and she reached up, gently touching her eyepatch. "I just hope Alfred is alright."

XXXXXXX

"What are your favorite colors?"

Alfred held back a chuckle as Roman's head snapped to face him in shock, the action causing him to nearly trip over a tree root. The orange-haired man yelped and righted himself, pulling at his coat irritably and glaring at the amnesiac.

"What?"

"You heard me." Alfred said shamelessly. "I realized I didn't remember much about you so I thought I'd ask some questions."

"And you decided to ask what our  _favorite colors_  were?" Mercury asked dryly. "Are you five?"

Alfred widened his eyes. "How did you find out my secret?"

His grey-haired friend huffed. "I'm beginning to regret teaching you sarcasm."

"You didn't teach me it. This is all me." Alfred claimed.

Mercury scoffed. "Like you know that."

Alfred withheld a wince. He leaned back as Neo darted in front of him and tickled his nose with her pink hair. "Neo, wha—?" He batted her hand away and blinked as she winked a pink eye. "Pink? Is that your favorite color?"

She nodded happily, laying her head on his shoulder. Alfred wished she would give him space. Despite his potent misgivings about the girl, Alfred had not gathered the courage— or found the words— to ask Neo about Mistral yet and he was uncertain he wanted to. The memory he recovered clashed violently with the instinct that told him he should not trust his 'friend', the contradicting feelings doing little more than give him a headache and a boatload of stress.

Alfred did his best not to show his confliction, however, deciding that it was the best time to find out more about his companions. They had plenty of time, and there was little more to do than simply walk. And  _maybe_  he wanted to see if they acted suspicious and he needed to book it—

_Brain, if you're not going to give me the memories and reasons why you're acting like a paranoid twit,_ _**quit it.** _

"…Green." Roman decided eventually.

"But I thought you hated nature." Mercury said sweetly.

Roman glowered at him. "That has nothing to do with it. I just like the color. That's the  _point_ , idiot. You like the damn hue for no reason!"

Mercury laughed. "Okay. Chill." His head tipped, causing his bang to fall over his eye. "I think… red. Bright red."

"Like blood?" Roman asked scathingly.

Mercury smirked. "Precisely."

"Sometimes I worry about you two." Alfred sighed, only half-joking.

"Good." Mercury said. "Be wary. It'll keep you alive longer."

No response was given to the puzzled look Alfred shot him. The amnesiac went over the words again in his head. Was Mercury just being his snarky self? Was he giving sound— if ill-timed— advice? Or was that a subtle warning? Alfred's gaze drifted to Neo, who skipped at the front of the group while twirling her umbrella. Again, his unsettling suspicions crept back and he bit his lip.

He hated this. He hated having nothing but vague feelings and memories to work with. Because without something concrete, he couldn't act. He did not want to act. Doing so would make things change between him and his friends. Or were they 'friends'?

No. They  _were_  his friends. He believed that. He  _had_  to.

He didn't have anyone else in this world.


	9. Inevitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the double update.

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ meandered along an empty road, breathing in the fresh scent of the forest and basking in the warmth of the sun._ _V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ was much too old to do anything as childish as skip, but t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ steps were light and almost bouncy as t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ walked._

_After meeting in Wind Path, Mistral had stayed in contact with V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈. Such a thing was not as common as V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ would have liked among t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ kind. The others preferred to keep their location and current identity unknown most of the time. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ understood but did not like it. Not one bit. They should be working together as a united, close-knit group like t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ last King desired, not remaining secretive. The only one that trusted t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉ enough to reveal themselves was Mantle— t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ sibling— and now Mistral._

_And maybe… just maybe… V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ could consider the other nation a friend. The thought brought a tiny smile to t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ face. A_ _**friend** _ _. Nations did not have 'friends'. They had allies, and even Mantle was distant from V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈, especially after the war. Th̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ heart still ached when t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ thought of the fight with t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ sibling but t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ shook it away. Now was not the time to mourn the mistakes of the past. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈was going to see her friend, a fellow nation who would not die like the humans t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ befriended before._

_A tingle went up t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ spine. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ paused in the middle of the empty dirt road, glancing around uncertainly as t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ pulled t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ staff from t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ back. Seeing nothing, V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ walked a little faster. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ needed to hurry if t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ wanted to reach their meeting place on time. The village was still a few miles away._

_**Bang bang bang!** _

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ turned on instinct, blocking the gunshots with t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ power, and spotted a red-clothed figure running towards t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉, firing. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ threw him back with wind and spun, blocking his partner before he could striker her from behind. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ ripped his sword from his grasp and punched him in the jaw, sending him crumpling._

_A bullet whizzed by t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ head and V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ sprang off the road, hiding in the trees. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ spotted five more figures rush out of cover after t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉._

Bandits _, V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ realized._ But why are they out here?

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ did not stop to find out, stepping out of cover to blast them away with a gale. A few did not get up but more bandits arrived, surrounding t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ let instinct take over and smacked them away, focusing on the higher-ranked ones with the Grimm masks. Either they were not as strong as they seemed or they were simply caught off guard by her power, for they fell in droves, only for even more to take their place._

_Frustration ignited in t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ chest and V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ used it to gather heat in their hands. With a furious roar t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ sent out a circle of roaring flames. Th̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ fire sent all of them to the ground, and V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ heard some scream as the flames burned them. Perhaps realizing their easy target was not so easy, the bandits that could fled, leaving their wounded comrades to die. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ had no intention of killing downed enemies, but V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ did stalk over to the closest bandit, lifting him up by his shirt._

" _Why did you attack me?"_

_Like most criminals, the bandit gave up the information immediately. "W-We were told you had rare Dust that could replenish Aura!" he stammered. "S-She said it would be easy!"_

" _Who?" V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ demanded. "Who told you that?"_

_He quivered and V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ snarled, heating up t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ hands. The bandit shrieked. "I don't know! Some girl with pink and brown hair."_

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ dropped him in shock. Slowly t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ looked around at the fallen bandits before turning to the tree line, spotting white among the greens and browns. Th̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ fire extinguished and t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ skin grew cold._

" _Come out, Neo." V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ demanded in a whisper._

_Mistral emerged from the trees, stalking forward with her head down. Tḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ was almost reminded of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, though the nation was definitely no kid._

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ did not cry, though t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ eyes burned. "Why?"_

_Neo looked up and glared at t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉, striking t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉ dumb with the utter loathing her eyes. She shoved her Scroll in t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ face, revealing a written message._

"I wanted you to see what it was like to have these RATS attack you."

" _What?" V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ whispered, unable to comprehend the words._

 _Mistral's face contorted into a snarl and she swiped to a different message._  "You don't understand what it's like. None of you do. My people are attacked every day and none of you care. You promised you would help us. You promised you would talk to the rich imbeciles in the main city. You promised you would make things better for me and my people. Instead you left me to rot. You abandoned me to this! You did NOTHING!"

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ barely had time to finish reading the message before Mistral lunged for her. Tḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ evaded the stab and blasted Neo away with wind. Shock and hurt were extinguished by rage and grey clouds gathered in the sky. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ pointed at the fallen Mistral, feeling the hair on t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ neck stand up as electricity gathered in the air…_

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ couldn't do it. Tḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ couldn't bring t̶͖̲́̈́h̵̖̑͝e̸͈̔͘ͅm̶̺͚͛̉self to end the nation's current life. Slowly, V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ lowered t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ hand and turned away from Mistral, who was still on the ground and winded from t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ strike. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ could feel mismatched eyes boring into zir back._

" _I can't believe you would do something like this."_   _V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ whispered. "I couldn't simply walk in and take care of all your problems, Neo. That's not how the world works. I don't know about the situation in your Kingdom, only my own, and I can't magically change it. I don't have that power." Th̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ fist clenched around t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ staff and t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ glared back at the representative of Mistral, making her flinch. "I will continue to try to make those in the capitol acknowledge you, but I will no longer assist you personally. Don't expect to see me again for a long time. Goodbye, Neo."_

_V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ walked off, going back the way t̴̟̊͒ḥ̵̅ę̵͌y̷̗̗͋̿ had come. With every step, t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ heart ached with the sting of betrayal, and V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ blinked rapidly, determined not to release the tears in t̸̛̤̉h̷̢̒͝e̴̥̗̕í̶͎̍r̵̞̆̓ eyes. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ thought things were finally changing. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ thought that petty deceptions were below their kind nowadays. V̵̛̯̾a̶̰͚͌͛l̶͈̟͐e̴̟̽̈ thought their kind could finally begin to truly work together to face the Grimm. It seemed that was not the case._

_And Vale would never trust Neo again._

As he regained consciousness, Alfred struggled to keep his breathing even.

 _Don't freak out,_  he thought.  _It— It might not mean anything._

That could not be another recovered memory. It had to just be a nightmare constructed from his subconscious fear that Neo could not be trusted. That  _had_  to be it. His friend could not have intentionally led bandits to him so they could kill him— or worse.

_It did not feel like a nightmare._

Alfred struggled to make it seem like he was still asleep, forcing his chest to rise and fall in a steady pattern. He did not want to panic and wake up the others. He was uncertain how much Mercury and Roman knew about everything. About Neo and Mistral and himself.

Though… it felt like that happened years ago. Maybe Neo changed her ways? Maybe she regretted what she did and was trying to repent by helping him now? The thought comforted Alfred's sleep-addled mind and he settled, drifting back towards sleep. Low voices snapped him awake.

"Of course I saved him." Mercury was saying. "He's our leverage. Why the hell are you asking  _again_?"

Alfred's heart froze, becoming a solid block of ice in his chest.  _No._

"I just want to be sure you remember what we're doing." He heard Roman say. "You've been humoring the kid. If I didn't know better, I'd think you actually cared about him."

Mercury scoffed. "As if. I'd just rather deal with a compliant fool than a questioning one. If we treated him like shit all the time he'd turn on us. Besides, we need him in case our old  _friends_  catch up to us. You know this."

There was a short pause. Alfred carefully peeled his eyes open the slightest bit and saw Neo and Roman exchanging a glance.

"We do." Roman grumbled. "Just making sure you're not going to pull some bullshit redemption."

Mercury snorted. "Yeah, right. And yet you claim to know me,  _friend_."

"Fuck off." Roman sneered.

It sounded like their normal ribbing. Except it was not ribbing at all. It never was.

The sting of betrayal was achingly familiar. Alfred struggled not to tremble and to keep his breathing steady, his sweaty palms firmly pressed against his pant legs. He needed to remain calm. He needed to pretend to be asleep. Otherwise they would find out he had listened in. He could not afford that. He would remain calm and rational and escape once he had an opportunity. No need to freak out. No need to be rash. He would be fine.

Alfred opened his eyes a slit and saw Neo staring directly at him. The mute blinked and tipped her head, then sighed and tapped Roman's arm. The orange-haired man followed her gaze and calmly got to his feet.

"Well that didn't last long." Roman said, more irritated than upset.

The paralysis gripping Alfred's limbs released and he stumbled out of his sleeping bag. He brought his bat up on instinct and flinched as he blocked Neo's strike. The force of the blow and his position on the ground made him fall onto his butt he managed to shove his 'friend' away.

Mercury's foot slammed into the ground next to his head and he flinched. Alfred swept the teen's legs out from under him, rising to his feet, and hit the approaching Roman with Cobalt Striker, sending him into a tree. The amnesiac grunted as Neo struck him in the back and blasted her and Mercury away with a gust of wind.

_Run or fight. Run or fight. Run or fight._

There were three opponents. Could he beat them? They were skilled, and so was he, but it might not be enough. He had trouble with Neo alone, he didn't know Roman's capabilities, and Mercury—

— _Vale spotted a figure running towards ẗ̷̙̠́̒h̸̤̲̀͝e̸͚͚̅m̸̱̭̆́ and shot a blast of fire. The woman dodged, sliding along the ground and releasing dirt, and the dirt coalesced into glass shards, which she threw at Vale. The nation hit the ground and looked up._

 _Heshe— Vale? saw the three adversaries sprinting towards him—_ Mercury. One was  _ **Mercury**_. _Somehow, h̵̫̭͑̀e̵͖̦̊s̵͓̈́͠h̴̻̊e̴͖͍͗͂ also did not. To ẗ̷̙̠́̒h̸̤̲̀͝e̸͚͚̅m̸̱̭̆́—_ _ **H̶͔̱͆ē̷͇͜ŕ̴̻̯ḧ̸͜i̸̫̺̅m̸͖̜̒͠?**_ _they vanished and reappeared. The black-haired woman appeared in front of her, swords raised, but h̵̭̍E̴͕̓̊-̵͕̉s̴͈̒͝H̴̫͛͜e̷̠͓̚-̴́̔͜t̸̩͒Ḥ̴̗̈́͠e̷̝͆Y̴͈̙̾? deflected the hits, kicking the woman away. Mercury and the green-haired girl rushed forward to attack and Vale struck them both. Mercury landed a blow in return and they-he-she rushed him, expression set in angry determination. Vale punched the girl and Mercury away and turned on instinct to see the woman shoot three arrows at t̵̺͙͂H̵̥̓́e̶̳̾i̶̩̦̾̉R̶͖̈́h̸͍̱̀Ę̸͓̈́ȑ̸̬̳H̶̡͉͊̾I̴̤̐̚m̵̢͠_ _ **w̴͇̝̃H̷̛̭̲Ô̴̲̮?̸͓̣̋͊?**_

_They landed around Vale and exploded with a high whistling noise like a scream, accompanied by h̶̯̍ĩ̴̤ş̶̆̈́h̷̰̄e̸͎̦̐̕r̸̨̓͋h̵̞͌͜i̴̧̅͋͜ş̸̟̇ own pained shout as her Aura failed. Vale gasped lowly as pain quivered through his body and the three approached—_

_**Run.** _

Alfred did. He sprinted out of the clearing and through the dark trees, heart in his throat and eyes wide with terror. His three companions were worse than false friends. They were  _enemies_. Neo had betrayed him in the past, and Mercury was one of those responsible for— for—

A bullet hit a tree by his head, making it explode into splinters, and Alfred recoiled, glancing back. The three criminals were in pursuit, and even in the darkness he could see Mercury and Neo grinning sadistically. It was like a horror movie. A stupid teen, pursued through the woods by three relentless killers.

They weren't going to let him run. They weren't going to stop until he was back in their clutches or their victim was dead.

_I'm_ _**not** _ _a victim._

Alfred's fear washed away and his eyes narrowed. He felt someone right behind him and launched himself off a tree, twisting and kicking Neo right in the face. The girl staggered and the amnesiac's bat struck her in the chest, sending her flying up into the treetops. Alfred barely winced as he heard her land with a thud some distance away.

He aimed at Mercury and fired, forcing the criminal to jump back and block it with his legs before darting behind a tree. Alfred stepped forward and a flare hit him in the chest, sending him sprawling. He winced in slight pain and looked at his final attacker, expression torn between anger and nervousness.

"You just  _had_  to listen in then didn't you, Blue?" Roman sneered as he stalked towards him. "It was going so well. Why did you have to complicate things?"

He brought his cane down. Alfred rolled away, balancing on his upper back and arms as he kicked Roman with both feet. The criminal swore and Alfred grabbed his cane, headbutting him and striking him in the temple with his bat. Roman went down like a pile of rocks, conscious and dazed.

Neo appeared between them, smacking Alfred in the chin. The amnesiac's vision blurred and he blindly forced them away with wind. He shook his head, breathing heavily, and frantically blocked Mercury's rapid kicks with his weapon and arms. The grey-haired criminal smirked and kicked him directly in the throat.

Alfred choked but resisted the urge to clutch at his jugular, unsheathing his bayonet. It hit Mercury in the shoulder but did not go through his Aura, though the force was enough to push him away. Something caught Alfred's hood and he was yanked off his feet. Neo appeared in front of him as he fell and she struck him in stomach, pulling Cobalt Striker from his grasp with her umbrella.

Alfred struck the dirt and caught Mercury's foot before it could slam down on his head. He twisted the limb and heard a metallic screeching noise like metal being abused. Mercury swore and kicked him with his other foot, making Alfred release him. The amnesiac rolled to his feet and slammed both fists into Roman's chest as the criminal made to hit him. A ripple of orange light went over his frame and Alfred realized his Aura had depleted. He quickly retrieved Cobalt Striker, sheathing the bayonet for the moment.

_I can do this._

He flung Mercury away with wind and blocked Neo's rapid strikes. The smirk was gone, replaced by a furious snarl, and he noted that her moves were more aggressive.

_Yes. Please get rash and sloppy._

Spotting an opening, he hit her in the nose with his elbow, grabbing her as she faltered and throwing her. She twisted in the air and recovered, rushing back, and she and Mercury both kicked him, sending him crashing back to the forest floor.

His Aura broke in a flash of blue-green light.

Alfred noticed but got back onto his feet. He had to keep fighting. He blocked Mercury's kick, cringing as one blow connected with his forearm. He struck the criminal in the stomach and— as he hunched over to catch his breath— smacked him right in the throat with the bat. Alfred felt no pleasure as Mercury faced the same move he'd used on the amnesiac, focused fully on  _survival_.

A can hit the back of his knees and he barely kept his footing, only for strong arms to wrap around his throat, putting him in a chokehold. Alfred struggled in Roman's hold but the criminal refused to release him, callously preventing air from reaching his lungs.

"Got you, Blue." The criminal snarled, tightening his grip.

Alfred felt himself weakening, black spots dancing before his eyes. His grip on Cobalt Striker was beginning to go slack but he dare not release it.

"What now?" Mercury asked. "I for one don't feel like toting around a struggling captive."

"Then let's kill him and be done with it. I don't think he's worth the effort anymore." Roman said dismissively. "Neo?"

Alfred did not need to see to know what his 'friend's' answer would be. Everything was suddenly so clear. Neo did not care about whoever was after them or hostages. She just wanted to manipulate him before betraying him again. But since the gig was up, he had to die.

_I don't want to die yet. I don't want to change. I don't even know who I am yet!_

_I_ _**won't** _ _be a victim again._

Alfred pointed the bat over his shoulder and twisted it.

The tip of the bayonet slashed Roman over his nose and up his forehead. The criminal released Alfred with a scream and staggered back, clutching at the wound. Blood dripped down his face and he touched it, looking at the crimson on his fingers with a stunned expression. Then his face contorted, the expression made more terrifying by the gash.

" _You son of a_ _ **BITCH!**_ "

His cane connected with Alfred's midsection and he hit the ground with a winded grunt. Roman stormed after him, and raised the cane again, bringing it down. Alfred covered his head and cried out when it hit his arm, but Roman kept going, ranting and bringing the cane down with every sentence.

"Are you happy to know about your past now, Blue?"  _Whack._  "We  _aren't_  your friends."  _Thud._  "We don't give a single damn about you."  _Smack._  "You were just  _leverage_ , a  _bargaining chip_  in case our enemies caught up to us."  _Thud._ "And  _nothing_  more!"  _Crunch._

Alfred's vision swam as something in his torso— probably a rib— broke. He curled up in a futile attempt to protect himself and Roman hit him a few more times for good measure. He only stopped when Mercury grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"Enough. He's down." The grey-haired teen said. Dark eyes looked down at Alfred and he sneered. "That was pathetic compared to last time I faced someone like you. Then again, you don't know how to use your powers, do you?"

Alfred spat bloody saliva in his face.

Mercury idly kicked his head and sneered. "At least you aren't begging for mercy like that girl."

Any response Alfred might have given was lost as Roman made a small, pained sound, pressing a hand to his injury.

Mercury rolled his eyes, unsympathetic. "It's just a small wound. Stop acting like your arm got chopped off."

The orange-haired criminal glared at him. "Bastard actually  _cut me_." he snarled. "This is going to scar you little  _shit_."

He kicked Alfred in the side, making him gasp in pain. Roman bared his teeth and struck him again, then again, then  _again_ , an unsettling enraged light in his eyes. Mercury made to stop him but Neo caught his arm, watching the brutality with a curious, gleeful expression. It felt like hours passed but eventually Roman had taken out most of his anger on Alfred. Breathing heavily, he stepped back, looking the amnesiac in the eye.

"What's with those teary eyes? Something you want to say?" When Alfred remained silent, the criminal gave him another whack with his cane. "Go on."

The amnesiac gritted his teeth and faltered as he looked to Neo. His right blue eye was swollen nearly shut, while his left green one was mostly undamaged. He flinched as Roman unzipped his jacket dug through his pockets, taking his wallet and removing the Lien before tucking the moneyless accessory back in.

"You can keep the ID and that cute little note from your dead brother." The criminal informed him mockingly.

Tears pricked at Alfred's eyes and he finally found his voice. "He's… He's actually…"

"Oh, that was true." Roman said dismissively. "Your brother  _is_  dead and everyone we named  _is_  responsible." He gave a 'friendly' smirk. "Don't worry. You'll be joining him soon."

Alfred's eyes burned but no tears fell. "Was everything else all a lie?" he finally asked Neo, voice raspy and faint.

Neo smirked sadistically and nodded, then gestured at Roman. The orange-haired man obliged with her implied request. He knelt next to Alfred and reached out. The amnesiac flinched and did not relax, shuddering as the criminal gently stroked his hair.

"You really are a naïve little idiot. Don't you understand, Blue?" Roman asked, almost sounding kind. "We already told you that you're a  _bargaining chip_. And not just for us. There's a reason we wanted to use you." He leaned over, whispering in Alfred's ear. "You have no friends. You don't even have any allies or family. All you are is a little  _prize_ everyone wants to get to use for their own ends."

Roman grabbed Alfred's grimy locks and shoved his head, smacking it into the ground and pressing his cheek into the dirt. The amnesiac did not struggle. Instead he blankly stared straight ahead with glazed eyes. The criminal stood up and clapped his hands.

"So, who wants to tie up the loose end? I doubt anyone would find him out here but heroes always have the habit of popping up again like weeds."

Most people would be bargaining or begging for their lives by now. The thought of doing so did not cross Alfred's mind. Maybe it was pride or foolish courage that drove him to remain unbowed. Or maybe he simply did not care enough to try. He did, however, avoid looking as Neo smirked and skipped up to him, instead staring up at the trees. Before he got a blade in his flesh, Roman spoke.

"I have an idea. Hold him up."

A curious expression crossed Neo's face and she and Mercury grabbed Alfred's arms, hoisting him into a quasi-standing position. The amnesiac winced as his injuries flared and stared dully at Roman as his 'friend' scooped up Cobalt Striker and stopped in front of him.

"Maybe  _this_  will help jog your memory." He said and fired.

Roman's shot hit Alfred straight in the abdomen. It was not in the exact spot as his previous injury, but it was close enough to drown him in terror brought by awful memories. The present and past blurred as he remembered his 'fight' with the blond-haired girl. Another 'friend' that betrayed him.

Soon the memory was forced aside by current, very real pain and Alfred curled up, shuddering as he clutched at the wound. Neo and Mercury let him crumple to the ground. The girl smirked. The grey-haired teen did not look at Alfred.

"And now we're even." Roman said, touching the gash on his face.

Mercury looked back the way they'd came. "Let's go get our gear and get out of here. His fear is probably already attracting the Grimm." He picked up Cobalt Striker and dropped it next to Alfred. "Good luck fighting them off, buddy. If you survive that long."

He and Roman hurried off without another word, focused now on their own survival rather than tormenting their victim. Neo lingered, looking down at Alfred, and typed casually on her Scroll as he bled. She crouched next to him, avoiding the blood so it did not stain her clothes, and showed him the message.

" _That was fun, Vale. Maybe if you're lucky, the bandits will reach you before the Grimm do. I hope they tear you apart, just like they did to me when you left me behind."_

Alfred recalled his memory-dream. The numbness was not enough to block out the pain. "They… captured you?"

Her snarl— and the madness in her eyes— was answer enough.

Tears finally escaped Alfred's green and blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Mistral. I didn't know. I swear I didn't. I would have helped—"

Mistral's expression contorted with fury and she slammed her foot down on his wound, making him scream. Neo calmly pressed on the injury, shifting from anger to an eerie stoicism in an instant. Alfred could feel his consciousness fleeing, and Mistral sensed it too, for she finally got off him, showing him her final message.

" _See you in the next life, traitor."_

With that, Neo left him to die.

The forest grew silent except for the rustle of wind and Alfred's soft, pained cries. He lay in the dirt and his own blood, staring up at the canopy with his hands clutched to his bleeding stomach. His tears dried as quickly as they came and he lay in silence, listening for the tell-tale sign of approaching Grimm.

He was dying. He was going to die.

But he was Vale. A nation. He would be reborn, right?

The thought did not comfort Alfred in the slightest. He was not a nation. He was just Alfred. He wanted to live as Alfred as long as he could, without the terrible memories and burdens of Vale. Except no one cared for Alfred. Alfred was just a prize. A bargaining chip. A tool.

Maybe it  _was_  better this way. He'd be reborn and get a fresh start. Maybe this time he would actually make real friends. Maybe he wouldn't be betrayed again. That sounded nice. Alfred's eyes slipped closed. He felt so cold. That's what death was though, right? It was coldness and silence, and whispers like wind.

And the crunch of footsteps over leaves that halted right next to him.

Alfred peeled his tired eyes open and peered at the blurry figure above him, able to see just enough to vaguely identify it. He did not have the energy to flinch at the sight of the Grimm standing over him. Except it wasn't a Grimm. Grimm did not wear red clothes.

The not-Grimm was actually a person in a Grimm mask.

More specifically, the person was a bandit.

Alfred was too exhausted to feel anything other than slight, hysterical amusement. It looked like Neo's wish had come true. Based on what she implied the bandits did to her, he was suddenly glad he was dying. He did not think he could face more of the dark side of humanity and escape with his faith in them intact.

As the bandit reached for Alfred, his tenacious grip on consciousness failed and everything slipped away.


	10. Ambush

Sleep eluded Ruby. She lay in bed for hours, tossing and turning but unable to get comfortable enough to rest. Instead she was awake, her mind buzzing with thoughts that all centered around a single theme.

Emerald worked for Cinder. Even now, Ruby could not believe it. Emerald had been her friend, right? But she'd been on Cinder's team. That alone did not make her guilty, but Matthew also said she had a hallucination Semblance. But that didn't mean anything. It didn't. It…

_Emerald was my friend_.

Ruby's thoughts drifted further back to happier, carefree days and a pit opened in her gut. Alfred had mentioned Emerald might be someone who tried to rob him, and Matthew had been subtly wary of her, his reluctance to befriend Emerald obvious in hindsight. They  _both_  had been wary. The twins had tried to warn her, or at least suspected her 'friend' was bad news. And she had defended Emerald. She had refused to believe her 'friend' could do such a thing. But Emerald worked for Cinder. She took part in Beacon's fall. She was probably responsible for Alfred's horrible beat down at Yang's hands. She was most likely partially responsible for Penny's death.

_How could I be so stupid?_

Unable to take the suffocating silence anymore, Ruby got up and grabbed Crescent Rose, sneaking out of her, Pyrrha, and Nora's room. The floorboards squeaked underfoot as she walked but the sound failed to awaken her sleeping friends. Ruby took extra care to be quiet as she tiptoed outside and shut the door behind her. With no destination in mind, she wandered out of the inn and into the dark streets. It was a bad idea to go alone but she had her Scroll and her weapon. She'd be fine.

"Ruby?"

She twitched, grabbing her weapon and snapping her head to the left to see Ludwig standing in her blind spot. Ruby jerked her hand away from Crescent Rose, willing her heartbeat to slow.

"Hi." She squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hi."

His sharp blue eyes softened the slightest bit. "I apologize for startling you. I did not expect to run into anyone out here."

"Oh, it's fine. I was just… lost in thought, you know?" Ruby said, clasping her hands behind her back. "So what are you doing here?"

Ludwig's lips dipped the slightest bit. "I am looking for my brother. I think he snuck out to go to the tavern."

Ruby laughed. "Sounds like something Uncle Qrow would do. I'll help you look for him."

She made to cross the street, only to realize Ludwig was not following her. Instead he looked at her, brow slightly furrowed and lips pressed together. An odd look passed over his face before it cleared.

"Are you… all right?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course." Ruby replied immediately. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It is late at night and yet you intended to wander the streets." Ludwig said bluntly, blue eyes piercing. "I find it hard to believe that it is normal for you."

"W-Well you don't know me that well!" Ruby blurted. She immediately regretted the defensive outburst, though Ludwig did not seem offended.

"That is true." He admitted. "But I do care for you. If you wish to talk to someone, I am here."

Ruby's discomfort trickled away and she gave a genuine smile. "Thank you. Let's find your brother, okay?"

Ludwig gracefully dropped the subject of her woes and nodded. "All right."

They crossed the street to the tavern, though a quick scan showed that their quarry was not there. The man working behind the bar mentioned another establishment on the other side of town. Ludwig muttered something under his breath about 'foolish brothers thinking they were being  _smart_ ' and thanked him before the two went to the second bar.

It was the type of place Uncle Qrow would often frequent, with low lighting, big booths, and some nice tables all around. The man outside seemed hesitant to let Ruby in but a few words from Ludwig got them both through the door. The blond-haired man instantly spotted the laughing white-haired and blond-haired figures by the back corner, while a second blond head sat between them looking miserable.

_How did they drag poor Matthew into this?_

Ruby winced as Ludwig's face darkened threateningly, reminding her of her Dad when she and Yang did something particularly stupid. Ludwig stormed over to Gilbert, who froze like a mouse in a cat's claws with a tanker halfway to his lips. Francis also turned bone-white and rose from his chair, but Ludwig blocked him before he could escape.

"Bruder!" Gilbert greeted with a nervous smile. "What are you doing out at this late hour?"

"Looking for you." Ludwig growled, unimpressed. "You cannot spend our money on beer."

Gilbert's red eyes darted about, searching for a way out. "Well, I might have already gotten a few pints. You don't want this to go to waste, right?"

He held up a foaming drink to Ludwig. The stern man glared at it so hard that Ruby was surprised the glass did not shatter. Or spontaneously combust. Or both. Gilbert wisely put the drink down and out of his brother's reach.

"I expected this from you, Gilbert." Ludwig stated. "But Francis? Matthew?"

The older blond-haired culprit put his hands up in surrender. "I just came to make sure Gilbert did not do anything foolish. Look, I do not have any drinks!" He shrank in his seat as Ludwig's glower darkened. "…Don't kill me."

The twin hunched low in his chair, looking miserable. "I caught them on their way out and they dragged me here…"

"He was moping. We thought Matthew needed to relax." Gilbert said quickly.

It was a really good thing Ludwig did not have a Semblance that could kill with a glare. "We're leaving." He stated.

Gilbert looked at him pleadingly. "Just one more—"

"No."

"But it's been so—"

" _Nein_. We are  _leaving_."

Gilbert stuck out his lower lip and Ruby had to resist the urge to giggle at the sight. It was not every day one saw a grown man pout. "You never let me have fun anymore. You're such a spoilsport."

"I'm merely trying to keep you and us alive. It may seem like we are on a trip, but we are on a  _mission_  in dangerous territory." Ludwig said sternly. "We cannot afford to be wasteful."

The two brothers glared at each other.

Then Gilbert huffed and dropped his gaze. "Fine. Just let me finish this one." He gulped the rest of the drink down and dropped some Lien on the table. "There! You happy?"

" _Ja_." Ludwig said briefly.

They left the bar— with Ludwig dragging Francis along by the back of his shirt before he could go flirt with a waitress— and meandered through the streets back towards the inn. It was still gloomily dark, but the lights from the buildings and lamps helped hold back the shadows nicely.

"So am I grounded,  _bruder_?" Gilbert asked Ludwig innocently as they walked.

"Yes, you are." The stern man informed him. "And so is Francis."

The long-haired man spluttered at his conclusion. "How does that work? We are travelling,  _mon ami_."

"I will find a way to make you regret this." Ludwig threatened. His blue eyes glinted. "And I will happily involve Arthur in doing so."

Francis gasped overdramatically. "You wouldn't dare!"

Matthew sighed in exasperation but said nothing, lost in thought. Ruby was about to ask what was on his mind when something flickered in her peripheral vision. She jumped, whirling towards the spot with her hand on her weapon. The men with her tensed.

"Ruby? Did you see something?" Matthew asked sharply.

She scanned the top of the empty alleyway and slowly shook her head. "No. Sorry. I guess I'm just jumpy."

Gilbert snorted and slung a friendly arm across her shoulders. "Not to worry. It is  _Bruder's_  fault, with all this talk about danger and missions." He winked. "Do not let him scare you, Ruby. We are in town. We are safe. Nothing is going to hap…"

He trailed off, red eyes widening. Ruby followed his gaze upward, instantly spotting a shape on a nearby building, standing close to the edge. As Ruby watched he walked closer, steps driven but almost casual. Her mind instantly jumped to a conclusion and she rushed forward, arm outstretched.

"Don't—!"

The figure stepped off the rooftop and she flinched, her horror quickly replaced by relief as he landed firmly but safely on the ground. Oh, thank the Gods. She'd been mistaken. The man had Aura. He had simply decided to take the short route off the roof. Just to be sure, Ruby approached the man, having half a mind to check if he really was okay while the other half might want to scold him for scaring them like that.

Yellow eyes locked with silver, and Ruby's steady pace faltered as she registered the  _madness_  within. With a loud cackle, the man unsheathed the claw-like weapons at his wrists and attacked.

Ruby barely got Crescent Rose— in its gun form— out in time to block the man's first strike. The man did not give her time to transform the weapon, slashing at her furiously and rapidly and giggling all the while. A particularly hard blow glanced across Crescent Rose's side and Ruby flinched, feeling her Aura do  _something_.

Gilbert stabbed at the man, distracting him, and their enemy cackled, turning on the white-haired man. He batted Gilbert's rifle aside almost playfully, jabbing at him, but Gilbert shoved back, nearly stabbing the man in the nose. The man blocked the blow and his grin widened. He kicked Gilbert away into Ludwig, who'd been approaching and the two brothers crashed to the street.

The man instantly turned back to Ruby, who tensed, readying herself as he ran at her… and leapt cleanly over her, darting towards Matthew. The twin flinched, bringing up his gun and firing twice, but their attacker blocked the shots with his claws. Francis moved between the two but the man threw him aside, sending him flying into a wall, and it was only Francis's Aura that stopped his bones from being broken.

Ruby— now wielding a scythe— lunged for the man from behind but he easily parried her swings, shoving her back and lunging at Matthew. The twin got his hockey stick transformed and blocked the initial strikes, but a particularly hard blow made his Aura flare briefly over his frame.

By now their fight had drawn the attention of a few civilians, many of whom turned on their lights and peered out their windows. Upon seeing the fight, most of their observers' eyes widened with panic and they slammed their windows shut. Ruby prayed that sense of self-preservation would extend to all of them and they would not get caught in the crossfire.

Matthew blocked the next blow, hooking the man's right arm and twisted, using the stick end of his hockey stick to strike him in the kneecap. The man grunted, surprised, but recovered and kicked the twin in the face. Matthew stumbled but Ruby dove in, slashing at their enemy's back. He easily parried the strike and something struck her from behind.

She turned on instinct, eye frantically searching for her foe yet no one was there. No one at all. Something hit Ruby again and she saw the source this time. She hastily blocked the man's stab and glowered at him.

He laughed mockingly. "Having trouble, little flower?"

Ruby's teeth bared in a snarl and she threw herself at the man at top speeds. His eyes widened and he stumbled away, clumsily blocking her scythe. Taking a page from Matthew's book, Ruby hooked his leg and yanked, sending her foe crashing to the ground. Her heart soared with victory as she pointed her gun at her fallen enemy.

"Why are you attacking us—?"

Something slammed into Ruby's side, sending her and it sprawling to the ground. Ruby struggled to face the person pinning her down, turning her head to see him more clearly, and was stunned to see Francis. The blond-haired man's blue eyes were wide with terror and he put his full weight on her, keeping her down.

" _I won't let you hurt him too!_ " Francis screamed.

Ruby balked at the unhinged  _terror_  in his voice and struggled in his grasp but he refused to budge. What was wrong with him? She had their foe on the ground—

Ruby looked left and her heart froze in her chest. Ludwig and Gilbert were fighting the strange man.  _Matthew_  was laying on the street, skin ashen and violet eyes round. Ruby's mouth went dry.

_W-What?_

She'd been fighting the man. She  _knew_  it. So why was Matthew there, exactly where he'd just been?

Her eye widened with horror. "Emerald."

Comprehension flashed over Francis's face but he still refused to release her.

"I'm fine." Ruby pleaded. "Emerald's here somewhere!"

Francis still hesitated. He was forced to pull her aside as the man landed next to them, claws impaling the dirt where Ruby had been laying. She got to her feet, eye narrowed angrily. She did not know why he was fighting them but if Emerald was assisting him, he was her enemy.

Praying she would not be targeted by the false visions again, Ruby rejoined the fight, diving between Ludwig and Gilbert and slashing at the man's head. He blocked but Ludwig came in fist first, forcing him to dance backwards and into Gilbert. The white-haired man grabbed their enemy from behind, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Enough of this!" he growled. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

The man stopped struggling to break free and grinned. "Me? Why, I am Tyrian, a servant of my Goddess. As for why I am here…" His head cocked curiously and a gleeful smile danced at his lips. "You truly don't know?" Yellow eyes moved past Ruby and to Matthew. "I'm here for you…  _Vale_."

Ruby nervously glanced at Matthew in confusion, taking in his pale, determined features. Before she could ask, Gilbert  _screamed_. The white-haired man released his captive and staggered back, clutching at his stomach. Ruby caught sight of the crimson leaking between his fingers and her eye jerked to the man. Not just a man. A  _Faunus_  with a scorpion tail, its stinger covered in blood.

" _Bruder!_ " Ludwig cried. He ignored the Faunus, rushing to Gilbert's side and catching him as he slumped to the dirt. "I've got you."

He did not notice the Faunus rise up behind him, claws raised. Matthew and Ruby intercepted before he could strike, shoving him away. The twin quivered with rage, and the air around him grew colder.

"What did you  _do_?" he demanded.

The Faunus laughed. "Oh, I killed him.  _Obviously_. Only your kind can hope to survive that poison. As a human, he's going to die." He showed teeth, grin manic. "Does that upset you, Vale?"

Ruby knew it was not the time but she had to ask. "Matthew? Why does he keep calling you that?"

The twin's jaw clenched and before Ruby's stunned eye his violet irises began to glow.

The Faunus cackled. "And  _there's_  the nation I heard about! But killing me won't help him, I'm afraid. So how about we make a deal? You come with me and I'll give your little human friends the antidote."

Matthew hesitated.

Ruby stepped between the Faunus and her friend, scythe raised in what she hoped was a threatening manner. "He's not going anywhere with you."

The Faunus's smirk widened. "Very well. Then I'll just  _take_  him."

He lunged, knocking Ruby aside like a useless fly and grabbing Matthew's shirt—

The Faunus ducked, forced away from the twin by a sword swiped at his head. The Faunus did a lazy flip and landed easily on his feet, smile vanishing. Their companions had finally arrived, drawn to the site by the commotion. But it was not Kiku's sword that had saved Matthew. Ruby's fear and confusion trickled away and she relaxed, smiling.

Her uncle smiled back. "Hey."

Qrow turned away, red eyes focused completely on the Faunus. The Faunus's yellow eyes flicked over the gathered warriors and he pouted, then stepped back.

"Time to go."

He ran. Qrow and Ruby went to give chase but the girl jerked to a halt. Something tugged at her scythe and she was yanked backwards towards… Pyrrha?

Ruby instantly released her metal weapon and it fell in an arc like it had been thrown. Pyrrha's eyes hardened and the force pulling Ruby grabbed her belt and pin. She fell to the ground, dragged along it like a soul being pulled to Hell. Ruby panicked, grabbing frantically at her belt as the champion aimed her javelin—

Jaune grabbed the champion's arm, forcing it down and stepping in front of her. "Pyrrha,  _no_! It's Ruby! It's  _Ruby!_ Emerald's tricking you!  _STOP!_ "

Green eyes narrowed, then went round. Ruby stopped sliding and scrambled to her feet as Pyrrha pulled herself away from Jaune, hand to her mouth. The knight stopped her before she could flee, holding her and murmuring into her ear. Pyrrha did not appear to hear him, haunted eyes staring blankly at the girl she nearly hurt.

"Ruby, I-I—" she choked.

"I'm fine." The silver-eyed girl said quickly. "We have to…"

A quick scan of the area showed the Faunus was gone. In his place, a crowd had gathered, many of whom were eying Pyrrha warily.

_Not again_ , Ruby despaired.

"We need help here!" Francis shouted.

He and Matthew were next to Ludwig and Gilbert, the former of which still murmuring softly into his brother's ear. Feliciano sat slightly behind the tall blond-haired man, one hand on his back to show his silent support and Francis had applied pressure to the dripping wound, dismissive of how it stained his sleeves. Gilbert was not conscious to notice any of it. The man's red eyes were closed and his skin— already so pale— was nearly bone white, his chest rising and falling in sharp, pained jerks.

A terrible sense of déjà vu struck Ruby as a few Samaritans stepped forward and helped the unconscious man onto a stretcher, hurrying him to the town's doctor at the clinic. Her fists clenched around her scythe's handle.

_This shouldn't have happened. I should have been faster._

Arthur had other concerns. "Who was that?" he demanded of Qrow. "And how long have you been following us?"

His ire drew the attention of Ivan, Kiku, and Nora, all of whom looked at Qrow suspiciously. Ruby glared back at them, incensed by their reaction. Uncle Qrow had just saved their lives. Qrow put a hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

"It's okay, kiddo." He murmured. His red eyes flicked over the gathering crowd. "How about the rest of us go back to the inn to talk. We can't all cram into the clinic."

No one wasted time arguing. In the end, Ludwig, Feliciano, and Francis went with Gilbert, while everyone else returned to the inn.

The sun was just starting to rise as they numbly settled around the room, their bafflement giving way to a unified demand for answers. Even Ruby looked at Qrow expectantly with the others. Well, most of the others. Arthur still glared at the Huntsman, tapping his staff warningly on the ground. Ruby did not raise her issues with him just yet, more eager to understand  _why_.

Qrow took a swig of alcohol from his flask and sighed. "There are many secrets in this world that the public does not know about. One of those secrets is about a special type of person known as a nation…"


	11. (Some) Secrets Revealed

The nations and humans sat in silence around the room, only the distant patter of passing feet disturbing the quiet. The sun had long since risen, filling the area with golden light, but Canada could not help but feel its brightness was unfitting.

Ruby was the first to speak. "So this… 'Salem' is after the… 'nations' of Remnant? 'Nations,' which are the human personifications of each Kingdom and represent them and their people?"

"Yes." Qrow confirmed.

"And the nations are the only ones that can reach and activate the Relics that are hidden in vaults in their Huntsman Academies?" Ren added.

"Yup." Qrow said, popping the 'p'. "The nations are the only ones who can activate the Relics  _initially_ , anyway. They each unlock a specific vault, and then unlock the Relic inside. Think of it as a two-step verification before us normal people can use the Relics."

"And that man— Tyrian— thinks Matthew is one of those nations?" Jaune asked, concerned.

Canada dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to look at the worried glances his friends sent him. Qrow had revealed much to the teens but his and the others' positions as personifications from another world was not one of them. Canada appreciated the Huntsman's discretion. That did not stop his stomach from twisting with guilt at the remaining secrets.

_They don't need to know,_ a voice in his head said, sounding an awful lot like England.

"Matthew is a nation, just not the one Tyrian is looking for." Qrow clarified. "He is the representative of Mantle, but sadly  _Atlas_  is the one who can retrieve the Relic. Matthew is useless to Salem and her followers. Alfred—  _Vale_ — is the one they need."

"That's why Cinder wanted to kill him." Pyrrha murmured. "He had the rest of the power she needed to get inside the Vault in Beacon."

Jaune's hands clenched into fists and he turned his head to glare out the window, lips twisted into a scowl. Before Canada could question his reaction, England stood abruptly, physically shaking. At first Canada mistakenly thought he was afraid. He should have known better. The Brit's green eyes shone only with  _rage_.

" _I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU_   _EXPERIMENTED ON MY BROTHERS_!" he roared.

Mindful of their location, Canada winced. "Arthur, please quiet down. Qrow had nothing to do with—"

"He  _did_." England spat, glare never straying from the Huntsman. "He told us himself. They were going to  _force_ Alfred to accept the rest of Vale's Aura!"

Ruby's eye narrowed in displeasure, and Canada was disheartened to note her ire was directed at the Brit. He felt his own anger threaten to rise in response but smothered the instinct to defend his own family. They needed clear heads, not fury.

Qrow held his hands up in a placating motion. "We gave him a choice—"

"What  _'choice'_  was there?" England snarled. "Accept the Aura or let it go to a madwoman? Oh,  _yes_. What a bloody free ' _choice'_  there was." He stormed over to Qrow, jabbing him in the chest with his forefinger. "Don't you  _dare_  sit there and pretend he could decide not to accept Vale's Aura! His 'choice' was taken from him the moment that  _bastard of a General put him in that machine!_ "

Even Ruby looked unsettled at the mention of the experimentation the twins went through. Canada hoped she never found out the full extent of what the scientists did to them. He also noted that she had stopped glaring at England for berating her uncle. He could not decide whether he was glad or not that she was seeing the world was not black and white and that people on the 'good guys' side were capable of terrible things. Canada supposed it was good she still trusted her uncle. The others, on the other hand…

Even the most oblivious soul could tell the nations and JNPR were…  _upset_.

"Why didn't you tell us this from the beginning?" Jaune questioned with a slightly dissatisfied frown. "We would have been ready for those guys if we knew about the danger."

"He was using Matthew as bait." Japan said before Qrow could speak. Brown eyes narrowed to furious slits. From the normally stoic nation, that was the equivalent of someone howling for blood. "Or, at the very least, he manipulated us into heading to Mistral."

Canada thought back to his and Ruby's conversations before they left, recalling both the ones with Qrow and each other. The Huntsman  _had_  hinted that Cinder was not the greatest threat in Remnant, and that America might be going to Mistral…

Qrow shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't say that. I didn't count on the enemy mistaking one twin for the other."

"I'm glad." Canada said. He rephrased as everyone stared at him— some gazes startled, but many glinting with a fury he knew was not meant for him. "About their mistake, I mean. I'd rather have them wasting their time going after me than my brother. Especially since…" He trailed off.

"'Since'?" England prompted testily.

Canada locked eyes with Qrow, anger sparking back to life. He jerked his chin up, hoping his message was clear.  _You tell them or I will._

The Huntsman looked away first. "Shoving an Aura— especially a nation's Aura— into another body isn't exactly something that has been tried before. There might have been… consequences." He took out his flask and took a drink. "Unlike Mantle, Vale was strong, powerful, and— most importantly— not dying due to her kingdom's slow deterioration. As a result, Vale might have completely overwritten Alfred's memories, identity, and soul."

"You—  _You—!_ " Russia caught England before he could lunge for Qrow. The shorter nation thrashed in his hold, green eyes wild with anger. "Let me go!  _Let me go you bloody wanker!_   _I'LL KILL HIM!_ "

"I do not think so." Russia said calmly. "I do not think Ruby would like to see her uncle murdered in front of her."

Canada glanced at the girl, noting her new spot standing just in front of Qrow and resisted the urge to tell her to get out of the way. Beating up Qrow would not bring America back, and the blame for what happened was not— solely— on the man's shoulders. Instead Canada calmly got up and stepped into England's path, planting his hands on his brother's shoulders. Enraged and teary green eyes snapped up to his face and Canada did his best to remain calm.

"Alfred losing himself is only a possibility. Even then, you know how strong he is." He soothed. "He wouldn't let Vale beat him."

Canada tried to believe his own words, because if he believed, England might too. The glare the nation sent him said England knew what he was trying to do but he stopped struggling to break free and throttle Qrow, merely yanking his arms free of Russia's grasp. To Canada's surprise, the Brit said nothing more. He just sat back in his previous seat and glowered icily at Qrow. The twin knew England too well to feel reassured. The former British Empire did not simply let things go.

"So what do we do now?" Jaune asked now that a bloodbath was no longer imminent.

"What we were doing before: trying to find Alfred and get to Mistral." Japan suggested calmly. "Only now we are more aware of the greater danger."

His tone was unperturbed and stoic but Canada had the feeling England was not the only one still upset. He honestly hoped this would not divide their group. Though their group was already divided at the moment, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Violet eyes roamed over them all, thinking of the four that were missing. A stone caught in his throat, choking him. Prussia would be fine. He was a nation. He wouldn't die from poison.

The door banged open.

Qrow and the teens jumped to their feet, weapons out. The nations did no such thing, instead eying the doorway critically. Prussia did not appear to notice the tension or scrutiny, smirking as he swaggered into the room.

"Hello, all you unawesome people! Did you miss me?" he asked.

England's scowl returned. "No."

France chuckled as he walked in after Prussia. "Your charm never ceases to amaze, Arthur."

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, darting up to the red-eyed nation and touching his arm. "Should you be up? Does your wound hurt? I'll go get you some water!"

She sped off before they could try to stop her. Prussia stared after her, a slightly perplexed expression on his face, then shook his head and grinned.

"At least someone missed the presence of the awesome me." He boasted.

"More than one someone." Canada admitted. "I'm glad you're okay."

The haughty grin softened the slightest bit and he winked. "As if there was ever any doubt. It will take more than poison to take out my awesome self."

"And yet you run the risk of dying due to your own stupidity." Germany growled, grabbing his brother's arm. "Now  _sit down_. You're not completely healed yet."

Jaune got up and Germany shoved his brother into the comfy chair the knight had previously occupied. Canada was not the only one to notice Prussia's slight wince as he settled back.

"Are you sure you should be here and not at the clinic?" Pyrrha questioned.

Prussia waved off her concerns. "I do not require a doctor anymore. Staying would simply delay us in finding Alfred. I will be fine." He leaned forward, smile gaining a slight hard edge. "So who was that scorpion man? What did I miss?"

" _I_  will explain it to you." England said before Qrow could respond. "Just know that  _someone_  has been keeping secrets from us."

His green glare went from Qrow to Canada. The violet-eyed nation acknowledged he might deserve it but did not care much. He had reasons why he did not want to tell them about Mantle and Vale, and England's reactions were just proving his secrecy was a good idea. He honestly hoped that the nation did not try to curse Qrow with black magic. They did not need any bad luck.

Ruby returned with the water, which Prussia gratefully accepted. His skin was still a little pale but he appeared to be recovering quickly enough. That was good. They needed to keep moving and catch up to America and his captors. Preferably before their enemies realized their mistake.

Thinking about all the revelations about Queens and nations and Relics, Canada could only sigh.

_Why did things have to become so complicated?_

XXXXXXX

Many minutes later, France laid his head on his palm, tilting it as he studied England solemnly. "I see. So that is what they did…"

The nation appeared to be calm at first glance, but England could see the fury burning in his blue eyes, an anger that was in reflected in Germany, Prussia, and even Italy's faces as well— though the Italian looked slightly more horrified than enraged. For once, the Brit completely understood and agreed with them all. He had not sugarcoated anything Qrow had revealed to them, and the other nations were rightfully peeved. The thought of Ironwood and his scientists  _experimenting_  on America and Canada— his and France's  _brothers_ — made his blood boil and he had to resist the urge to leave the room and shoot Qrow in the face.

Logically, England knew the Huntsman had no part in the nations' capture and time as lab rats, but the Huntsman still wanted America to complete the process and become Vale. A process that might very well have killed his little brother. England's fist clenched around his magic staff. Italy squeaked and pressed himself against the wall.

Before England could comment, Germany put a hand on his arm. "Careful, Arthur. We do not want to destroy the inn."

England glanced at the staff and saw it was glowing a violent, deadly green. He loosened his grip and the green gleam of magic faded. "My apologies."

"It is fine." Italy was quick to assure him. "You have a lot on your mind."

"We all do." Prussia growled, grim and serious for once. "I cannot believe they lied to us. The General lied to our  _faces_  and claimed they did not hurt the twins!"

"We were foolish to believe him." France acknowledged, lips thinned. Blue eyes returned to England. "So what do we do now that we have… more of the information?"

England noted the use of 'more', not 'all'. They had already been tricked by the 'guardians' of Remnant once, and they would not trust their word so openly again. He should have known better than to trust them at all. They  _all_  should have, for they had known exactly what the people of Remnant were capable of before they even knew this cursed world existed.

_England was ready to punch France in the face. Truthfully, he was always ready to punch the frog in the face, but the urge was worse than ever today. He had already had to deal with France's groping, idiotic self yesterday, and today was not any better. To say that the frog was pestering him would be an understatement, and England was about ready to ask Switzerland if he could borrow one of his guns to shoot the bloody bastard. The only thing that stopped him was that the Swiss would use the gun on him more likely than not, so he suffered in silence and tried to murder France with his glare alone._

_It did not help that today's meeting was being delayed. Those that had shown up were forced to sit around and do nothing except argue and occasionally glance at the door, all because of the conspicuous absence of a certain hamburger-loving idiot. It was nearly half past ten. The meeting was supposed to start at nine. And yet there was no sign of America, or Canada for that matter. England was not the only one to notice the North American brothers' absence._

" _Where_ are _they, aru?" China growled, glaring at the doorway like it had personally offended him._

" _Who?" Spain questioned._

" _America and Canada! They are late, aru." China snapped._

" _America and…_ who _?" Spain muttered._

_Germany ignored him and looked to England. "Could you call them?" His tone was sharp and with little patience, blatantly at his wit's end and only one wrong word away from erupting._

" _I tried." England said, insulted that Germany thought he hadn't already attempted such a thing. "Both went straight to voicemail."_

" _Canada is probably still sleeping, but it is unlike America to be late." France mused._

" _He's been late to many things but meetings are never one of them." Japan agreed._

" _Ve~ Should we send someone to the hotel to get them?" Italy asked, raising his hand._

" _Don't bother. They're probably already on their way here." Romano said dismissively._

_Silence fell over the nations and England had to scoff. It was like they were not the personifications of their countries, but children dithering about, unable to do anything as they waited for someone to give them directions. He had half a mind to demand that Germany start the meeting, but when America showed up all he would do was derail it and complain about how they started without him, thus extending the time further._

Stupid bloody idiot _, England thought angrily._ If it turns out he's late because he picked up a hamburger I swear I will  _ **murder**_  hi—

" _What is that_ damn _scratching noise?!" Romano exploded, slamming his hands on the table as his eye twitched._

_Italy tipped his head. "Romano? What no—?"_

" _Shut up and you'll hear it." His brother snapped._

_The nations went silent again, straining their senses. At first England heard nothing, but then a soft scraping sound reached his ears. Identifying the direction, Germany walked to the door and opened it, looking down. His eyes widened minutely._

" _A bear?"_

_He leapt back as a ball of white raced into the room, heading right for France. To England's surprise, the frog did not cower and shriek, instead opening his arms in time for the bundle of white fluff to leap into them._

" _Kumajirou?!" France whispered._

_The white bear whined and pressed his head into the crook in France's neck. Now that he was not moving, England could easily see the dirt and scrapes on the animal, his fur fluffed in odd places like he had not bothered to try to groom himself. Memory clicked and the Brit stood up, reaching out and touching the bear behind his ears._

" _Isn't this Canada's bear?" he questioned._

" _Yes, he is." France said, adjusting the animal on his hip. "Why are you so dirty, petit ourson?"_

" _I can't find them." The bear mumbled. "I looked hard all night but I can't find them so I came here."_

_England and France exchanged a glance._

" _Who can't you find?" the Brit asked, gently scratching the bear behind his ear._

_Kumajirou did not nuzzle his hand like he was normally wont to do, keeping his head tucked in France's neck. "The one-who-feeds-me and his brother. They're gone."_

_A chill went through England. "W-What do you mean?"_

_The bear looked at him with sad, confused black eyes. "They're gone." Kumajirou repeated. "The bad men with guns took them away through a glowing hole in the air."_

_The room went completely silent as everyone processed what had been said._

_Then it exploded into chaos._

" _What are you saying?" Lithuania asked faintly._

" _Someone took America-kun and Canada-san?" Japan whispered._

" _The humans are finally turning against us!" Latvia wailed._

" _No, no, that can't be it. It's a joke, right?" Belgium gave a strangled laugh. "America's pranking us or something,_ right _?"_

" _I'd like to see them try to kill us!" Australia growled, unafraid._

_Russia started chuckling._

_More and more nations shouted questions and theories, but England cared for none of them. He could only stare blankly at Kumajirou as his heart sank and his mind went numb. If the bear spoke the truth then America and Canada had been captured by some nefarious group yesterday._

_Something cold grasped England's heart and squeezed._

" _QUIET!" Germany bellowed._

_The nations went silent._

" _Sit down." Germany ordered._

_The nations sat._

_Germany walked up to Kumajirou, leaning over so he was closer to eye-level with the bear. "Bear, can you give me a detailed explanation of what happened?"_

_Kumajirou looked at him, obviously miserable despite the expressionlessness of his face. "I'm hungry." He said in a small voice. "I didn't get to eat."_

" _I'll get you some food." Italy offered._

_At Germany's nod he rushed out the door._

" _No pasta!" Romano shouted after him._

_France shifted his hold on the bear, rocking him slightly. "While we're waiting, could you tell me what happened, petit ourson?"_

_Almost like a tired child, Kumajirou hid his face in France's shoulder. "The one-who-feeds-me and his brother were going to get food. They were taking too long to decide and I was hungry and I smelled fish. I went to find the fish but with the fish there were bad men." He flinched. "They shot me with something that made me sleepy but I didn't fall asleep. I couldn't move, and the one-who-feeds-me came in. He saw them but they grabbed him and put their metal stick to his head."_

_England saw France's jaw clench. His own shock was quickly giving way to anger._

" _The one-who-feeds-me's brother came in. They ordered him to put his forepaws up or they'd shoot. He did and tried to talk to them, but they were not interested in 'money' or 'stealing'. They wanted him and the one-who-feeds-me. They called his brother by name. America. Then they shot him and the one-who-feeds-me with the sleeping stuff and they fell asleep." His ears flattened. "It took lots of shots to make America sleep though."_

_England could not hide his snarl but he stayed quiet, waiting for the story to finish._

" _The bad men picked them up and one shot the air." Kumajirou continued. "A red glowing scar appeared and they stepped into it. Then it disappeared and Canada and America were gone." He looked at the nations, and England swore the bear was about to cry. "They're gone."_

_He buried his head in France's shirt, trembling. The nation rubbed his back soothingly, meeting England's gaze. The Brit had to wonder if he had the same anguished expression._

" _Who did it?" It was Japan who spoke, his eyes shadowed by his bangs and something dangerously close to anger on his face. He looked up and his brown gaze did indeed smolder, filled with a fury few had borne witness to before. When no one responded to him, his eyes hardened further. "Who took America-kun and Canada-san?"_

" _It wasn't any of us." Finland said quickly, sensing a fight brewing. "Our governments know better than to capture nations unless we're in conflict. It's a death sentence."_

" _Or a decl'ration of war." Sweden murmured._

" _I'm sure none of the nations here are responsible." France interjected before the atmosphere could get tenser. "We need to investigate before pointing fingers."_

_It was rare to see the flamboyant nation so serious, though frankly England completely understood his shift in mood. Italy returned with fish, providing a welcome distraction, and Kumajirou happily dug into the meal. Though that might not be the truth. Upon closer inspection, England saw he was simply hurrying to eat, like he wanted to finish as quickly as possible._

America and Canada are missing.

_England's anger returned in a rush, making his clenched fists shake._

" _This meeting is over." Germany decided, perhaps sensing an incoming explosion. "All of you return to the hotel—"_

" _What? You can't just expect us to leave!" Australia protested, green eyes narrowed._

_Germany maintained his unyielding glare. "You will remain informed. For now, we need to investigate and inform the appropriate parties once we know what happened."_

_He glared at the nations until they started moving out of their seats. A few lingered but Germany's menacing glower sent them scurrying for the door. Eventually only Germany, England, France, Russia, Japan, Italy, and Australia remained. The Aussie was immune to the German's warning look. He crossed his arms defiantly._

" _I'm staying." Australia stated, daring them to argue._

_Deciding it was not worth it to argue, France looked back to Kumarjirou. "Is there anything else you remember about the men? The others are gone. You do not need to hide anything."_

_So the frog did suspect one of the other nations was responsible, or at least one of their countries were. England had to scoff at himself. Of course it was someone from a country. It was not like there was another planet the attackers could have come from._

_Kumajirou thought about it, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. "The bad mens' fur looked the same."_

" _They… were wearing the same clothes?" France questioned as he tried to understand._

_The bear nodded. "Yes. The fur was white and like what you wear when you fight, but different."_

_The nations looked at each other, struggling to decipher his description._

_Australia perked up. "Oi, are you talking about military uniforms?"_

_Kumajirou's ear twitched uncertainly. "Maybe."_

" _Anything else?" England pressed. "Anything at all?"_

_White ears flattened. "They smelled like death."_

_Well, wasn't that a cheerful revelation._

_Kumajirou's yawn broke the heavy atmosphere, his jaw going wide as he revealed tiny, sharp teeth._

_France stroked the bear's head rhythmically. "Thank you, petit ourson. You can sleep now if you want."_

" _Okay." Kumajirou nuzzled against his neck and was asleep in an instant._

_The nations sat in silence for a time, only for it to be broken by Germany._

" _First thing we should do is check for security cameras and see if they caught anything." He said, slightly unfocused blue eyes suggesting he was already coming up with a plan. "Once we are absolutely certain America and Canada have been taken, we will inform their bosses."_

" _Crikey." Australia blurted, eyes round. "They're gonna be mad as a cut snake when they find out their nations' been snatched."_

" _As long as they don't start accusing others of the act, it should be bearable." France commented. "I think it would be wise to wait until we have some intel to approach them. We do not want to start World War III."_

_They shuddered at the thought._

_England looked to Germany. "I will go and see if I can borrow the security footage."_

_He did not wait for the German's reply to leave, walking briskly out the door and shutting it harshly behind him. His strides were long and angry as he stormed out of the meeting building, his fury returning more with every step._

Bloody stupid twats had to get themselves kidnapped! This had better not be a joke. If it is, I swear to God I will  _ **curse**_  that bloody git _._

_Deep down, he knew it was not a prank. America may be an obtuse idiot, but he would never do anything that could harm his brother or would leave his pet wandering the cold streets alone for hours. But if it was not a joke, then America and Canada truly were gone. They truly had been captured by a malevolent group._

_It was like the plot of one of America's stupid action movies, and it might just be one of England's worst nightmares. In olden times, nations had to fear being seen as demons or witches and hunted. Nowadays, scientific curiosity was their most worrying foe._

The idiot will be fine. Canada too. They'll protect each other.

_Footsteps sounded behind him and he looked to see Australia jogging up to him. The Aussie waved vaguely. "Germany said we should stay in pairs. We don't want anyone else getting grabbed."_

_England frowned at his former colony and gave a grunt of neither agreement nor disagreement._

_Australia smiled. "Don't look so cranky, England. It'll be like the old days. Minus the snakes and spiders."_

_England twitched at the reminder of the wildlife Australia had so… excitably shown him during his colony days. "Fine. Now hurry up. We have places to be."_

_He stalked out of the building with the nation at his side._

England absently reached up and touched the green stone that hung around his neck as if to reassure himself it was still there. He always felt the weight of the necklace and stone that would get them home. It was like a constant reminder of their real mission: to retrieve America and Canada and return to Earth.

This last betrayal only solidified what England already knew to be true.

Remnant did not matter. Not its wars, its factions, its people, or their schemes. In fact, America being a target for  _sacrifice_  in their conflict only made England more determined to get him out. He refused to let any more nations of Earth suffer because of this world, and the whole bloody planet could rot for all he cared. With that in mind, England felt no guilt for his response.

"We find America. And as soon as we do, we're  _gone_."

XXXXXXX

It was pain that dragged Alfred back to consciousness. It started as a small burn but soon turned into a roaring flame, ripping through his body and leaving him gasping for breath. A hand touched his forehead and he leaned gratefully into the cold touch, desperately wishing it were enough to quell the burning sensation in his abdomen. The hand slipped away and he grimaced, cracking his eyes open in hopes of finding the person. His blurry vision cleared and he saw red eyes.

It was the girl who betrayed him.

Alfred recoiled, breathing stuttering in panic, but a second glance revealed that his initial belief was false. The girl—  _woman_  had black hair, not blonde, and she was noticeably older than his attacker. That did not mean they were not related or in league with each other, however.

Alfred licked his chapped lips nervously. "Hello…?"

"I'm surprised you're still alive. Are you in pain?" the woman asked sharply.

Alfred jumped but readily responded. "A little."

He carefully sat up, uneasily aware of her red eyes following his every move, and glanced around. They were still out in the forest with no one else in sight. No people, no buildings, nothing. Only him and her and the weird mask she carried in one hand. Memory clicked and he gave another, small twitch.

_Is she going to hurt me too?_

Alfred shoved away such thoughts and glanced at his stomach, noticing the bandages wrapped around his wound. It still hurt the most, but not as badly as he thought a stomach wound should. Especially considering he probably had not been taken to a hospital by the bandit. But… his wounds had been taken care of. She had treated him instead of robbing him and leaving him to die. The realization brought no comfort to Alfred.

_Don't trust her._

"Thank you for helping me, Ms." He said softly.

Red eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "You do not know who I am?"

Alfred cautiously shook his head. "No. I've been having… memory problems. Sorry."

It was probably a bad idea to reveal such information but it was better than pretending to have intel he did not. The woman had saved him. She was also a bandit. The last person he trusted betrayed him. He needed to be wary. He regretted his decision as her gaze grew thoughtful. The responding somersault his stomach performed had nothing to do with his injury.

"Do you know who you are?" she asked neutrally.

Alfred swallowed. "My… My name's Alfred."

Her expression did not change. "And your  _other_  name?"

Alfred twitched and cursed himself for his nervousness. Glimmers of old pride and bravery brought warmth to his chilled limbs and he straightened, meeting her blood-red eyes.

"I think I'm Vale."

There was a beat of silence after his declaration, broken only by the rustle of wind through the trees. Then she smiled, the slightest upturn twitch of her lips. "I know you are. That's why I've been following you."

Alfred struggled to keep his expression neutral at her admission. She'd been tracking him? For how long? Had she just stood by and watched as Roman, Mercury, and Neo assaulted him?

Her head tipped, blood-red eyes narrowing the slightest bit. "But you are also…  _more_." She stood up, towering over him. "My name is Raven Branwen. I am the leader of a tribe of people who could benefit from having someone like you in our ranks. In return we could protect you from those that wish to use you for their own gains."

Branwen. He knew that name. Memory clicked and Alfred swallowed roughly. "Like your brother?"

Raven's lips twisted downward with displeasure. "What do you know about yourself?" she questioned.

Alfred shouldn't answer. She was a dangerous stranger, a bandit, and the family of one of the men who killed his brother. But  _everyone_  was a stranger to him and she did not appear to be happy to hear him mention her sibling.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones. I'm also Vale. I had a brother too, but he d-died." His voice cracked, then hardened. "I remember my past self being attacked by your people years ago."

Raven did not deny it. "So that  _was_  you. I suspected as much."

Alfred took a breath, wrestling with the anger expanding in his chest. "No."

The bandit frowned at him. "Excuse me?"

Alfred glared back at her. "That's my answer: No. I will  _not_  join you."

It was obvious from the way that Raven spoke what type of person she and the other bandits were. She had also been stalking him, likely aware of his companions' true nature and simply waiting for him to be betrayed. She talked so casually and callously about attacking Vale's previous self, as if ambushing an apparent innocent traveler was an everyday thing for her. Recalling what happened to the demolished town, Alfred had to withhold a snarl. Then again, Raven and her tribe  _did_  attack innocents every day. And he refused to even consider being a part of it.

"I may have amnesia but I still have my morals. I'd  _never_  join a band of murderers and thieves like—"

A sword was at his throat in an instant but Alfred did not care. He met blood-red eyes with his own glare steadily.

"You are foolish." Raven said. "I saved you. I offered you protection. And yet you insult me?"

"You deserve it." Alfred hissed vehemently. "I see through you. You want to use me for yourself, just like the rest of them."

Deep down in his heart somewhere, that thought hurt, but that grief was overshadowed by the fury humming through Alfred's veins. He considered fighting Raven and bringing her down but knew he did not stand a chance against her, injured as he was. He might not even stand a chance when he was fully healthy.

Raven's eyes hardened. "Very well. Since you have made your decision, my efforts to save you are now wasted."

Alfred tensed, waiting for the sword to slit his jugular, but the bandit did not move.

"I will give you information." Raven revealed. "Do your best to remember it."

The amnesiac was not fooled. "What's the price?"

"Your life." She stated.

Alfred went numb. His connection with the world seemed to strain, leaving him floating in a void of false serenity, barely connected to his body as blank shock took hold.

"I… see." He forced out.

"You will be reincarnated." Raven assured him stoically. "That is the point. The enemy knows your current identity."

A small, distant part of Alfred might be panicking. The rest of him was rather calm, or at least he was trapped in a false state of graceful dignity. "I don't understand?" he whispered.

"Then listen. And remember." Raven ordered. "The enemy of mankind, the Queen of Grimm is after the nations— your kind. The Queen— Salem— seeks to obtain the four Relics created by the Gods that give their wielders unimaginable power. Creation, Choice, Knowledge, and Destruction… with them, she can do whatever she sees fit with this world."

Alfred was hopelessly confused but numbly did his best to follow along, like he was trying to cram for an exam instead of facing his own demise at the hands of his 'teacher'. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Only the personifications of the Four Great Kingdoms can access and unlock the Relics." Raven told him. "That is why Salem needs you, Vale. And— as I previously said— she knows your identity."

Alfred swallowed. "So you want me to be reborn so she can't find me as easily."

"Yes." Raven told him simply. "If you had accepted my offer, I would protect you. However, I see that your…  _naivety_ makes that impossible."

"Being unwilling to hurt innocent people is not 'naïve'." Alfred said levelly.

"This has nothing to do with innocence." Raven said coldly. "The strong live. The weak die."

The words rankled at Alfred, infuriating him like fire in his veins. He wanted to shout at her that her beliefs were twisted and wrong, that the strong should protect the weak until they became strong themselves, that she and her precious tribe were nothing more than criminals and scum of Remnant. He kept his silence on the topic, however. He knew his words would not change her.

"Am I weak, then?" he rasped.

"Perhaps." Raven said calmly. "Understand that I am only doing this because I must keep my people safe. The enemy— Salem— cannot be allowed to use you for their goals." Her sword pressed gently against his throat. "Remember for your next life."

There was still no fear. Only a dull, distant acceptance.

"I will." He whispered.

He didn't cry. He didn't scream. He didn't struggle or try to fight. He wasn't even angry or upset. An unfitting end to someone like him, though he could not bring himself to care. Her brother had killed his. Now she was going to kill him. How… fitting.

There was a burst of pain as Raven slashed his throat, but it fled mercifully quickly, leaving only darkness. As his body slumped to the forest floor and everything faded away, Alfred had a single thought.

_I promise to do better next time._

Then there was blackness—

…But then there wasn't.

What felt like seconds later, Alfred woke in the forest again.

He blinked slowly, recognizing the shapes of the trees above him, and his first thought was that it had all been a terrible dream. Then he felt something warm and stick on his skin, primarily his throat. Alfred looked down at his bloody shirt, slowly touching his neck where he had been cut. There was no wound. But there had been.

He rolled over and vomited into the dirt. Once his stomach was emptied he was left shuddering and retching, body finally giving in to the panic that had failed to grip him before his death. Except he had not died. He had not been reborn in a new body. He was still Alfred F. Jones. He was still  _alive_. Raven had killed him. He knew she had. Yet here he was. She expected him to be reincarnated like his kind was supposed to be but instead he'd woken up  _here_.

_What_ _**am** _ _I?_

Alfred did not have the answer, and he was uncertain anyone else did either. Even if they did, would they tell him the truth?

_My 'friends' left me to die._

His eyes remained dry, but naturally it began to rain. The droplets trickled down his temples in a mockery of tears but he had none to shed. He only had an aching hole in his heart.

_The first people I remember tried to kill me. The second person did kill me. And according to her, it's because I can unlock a Relic thing._

_Am I really just some prize to be fought over?_

Alfred refused to believe that. He was more than just Vale and a bargaining chip. He was a  _person_. He was  _himself_. He was A—

Pain lanced through his head and he clutched his hands to it, writhing in the mud. A memory forced its way to the front of his mind.

_He stood in a field of grass that was almost taller than him. In his arms was a small rabbit, which he held gently to his chest with his small arms. He heard someone behind him and turned, smiling brightly._

" _You've come! I'm so happy to see you!"_

_The blond-haired man with large eyebrows and green eyes balked, looking surprised. "W-What? You're not running away?"_

_He studied the man— who was so big compared to him!— a little confused. Why would he run away? Did the man think he was scary? He did not think the man was scary at all. He looked really kind and nice… and maybe a little lonely._

" _No, it's fine." He told the man. "I've learned quite a lot about myself lately."_

_Indeed he had. He had learned he was not like the other children he saw in the plains and woods. He was a personification of this land. His name was Am—_

" _I-I see." The man stammered. "Well, I'm happy to see you too."_

_A small smile curled the corners of the man's lips. He decided he liked that smile and wanted to see the man happy more often. The smile became a full grin._

" _Okay, then. That makes it easy. From now on, you're my little brother!" the man proclaimed._

_He nodded, feeling as if his happiness would burst from his skin. "Then I'll call you big brother."_

_The man blushed, a shocked expression crossing his face. To his horror, the man started to tremble and cry. He did not mean to make him sad… but he was still smiling. Was he happy?_

_The man sniffled, wiping at his eyes. "'England' is fine. That's good enough."_

" _Okay." He said. "My name is America!"_

_Time passed._

_He knew that England and another nation were fighting over him. It hurt him to know that. It scared him. He did not like their battles, with blood and death and fear. So when England finally asked him to decide for himself, he was grateful. But still scared. It only got worse when England made a terrifying face that would send and child— even a personification— running for the hills._

_Despite himself, America began to cry. He distantly heard the other nation—what was his name?— scold England before coming to him with food. It looked good. He approached, only to spot England behind the other nation. He was slumped on the ground with his head on his knees. He was sad again. America's heart ached with empathy and he wandered over to England, pulling at his sleeve._

" _Are you okay?"_

_The green-eyed nation looked up, startled and lonely and so very sad._

_And America knew his choice._

He felt droplets on his cheeks. It might be from the rain. It might not be. He could not tell. He sat up, shivering and cold, but with a strength that was not there before. He opened his mismatched eyes and looked to the cloudy grey sky, blinking water out of his eyelashes.

"America." He breathed.

America. A name.  _His_  name. He was Alfred, he was Vale, but he was also America. Even though he still did not know what the last one meant. But someone else might.

_I have someone out there_ , he thought giddily.  _I have another brother._

His memory suggested that he was just another prize back then—  _They fought over me_ — but England's reactions suggested something else. The other nation was genuinely lonely and happy to have a little brother.

_How many changes ago was that?_  He thought.  _And which Kingdom is 'England'? That must be his human name, right? So who was that other nation…?_

Alfred shook himself, discarding such questions for now. They did not matter. What mattered was getting out of here and heading to… to…

His thoughts drifted to Neo, Roman, Mercury, and Raven and a hand squeezed his heart.

_I won't be like them,_  he vowed.  _I won't hurt people to help myself. I'll protect people. I'll be the hero. But first I need to get out of this rain._

Scanning the area, he spotted a drier place beneath some trees. Alfred tried to rise and go there only for his legs to give out, sending him back into the mud. His hand knocked into something hard and he dug Cobalt Striker out of the muck, feeling a sense of déjà vu. No memories were forthcoming so he focused on moving.

Unable to rise, Alfred dragged himself across the ground, digging his fingers into the lose stones and mud as he pulled himself away from the scene of his murder. Most of the blood on his skin and the ground were being washed away by the rain, leaving only the gore on his shirt. Alfred appreciated the downpour for that, but little else. Apparently he could summon the weather but he could not order it away. Or perhaps his mental state was to blame.

_I won't let them break me_.  _I'm not a victim. I'm not a prize_ , he reminded himself.

Alfred made it to the drier spot and leaned against the trunk, breathing heavily. His eyelids fluttered but he did not let them fall shut. He needed to get away. He needed to think. He needed to plan. But he was so tired…

Cold and alone, Alfred curled up at the base of the tree and fell into an uneasy sleep.


	12. Memory

It had been a few days since they left Higanbana and they were well on their way to Mistral. Canada could not measure, but it felt like they were travelling quicker than before. The assumption was not so unbelievable when one considered that a well-traveled Huntsman was with them. Despite the tension caused by his presence, Qrow knew the area well and was a good guide… whenever he chose to stick around.

"And there he goes again!" England growled as he watched Qrow walk into the trees. "Why does he feel the need to vanish whenever we stop for the night?  _And_  for half the day?"

"Uncle Qrow has always been like that." Ruby defended the Huntsman. "He's always away on missions so we only got to see him for short times."

"But this  _is_  his mission." Nora bluntly pointed out without malice. She plopped down on a fallen log beside Ren. "I don't think he likes to be around us for very long." There was a pause as she realized what she said and her face fell.

"Don't worry, it's probably not  _you_  he's avoiding." England assured her in his usual brusque tone.

"It would probably help if you acted nicer to him." Ruby hinted unsubtly.

England scoffed. "Ruby, your uncle could take a dagger to the chest for me and I'd still want to punch him in the face."

Ruby stared at him, jaw working wordlessly. "…Thank you for being honest?" she said eventually.

"You're welcome." England growled. He studied her and frowned, standing up and pulling her hood up over her head. "It's damp and chilly.  _Use_  that bloody cloak of yours for God's sake."

Ruby looked torn between smiling and imitating a water-deprived fish. She settled for giving Canada an adorably bewildered look. The twin hid a smile and shrugged. He honestly did not understand England any better than she did. A familiar laugh broke the stare-off and the two looked to a chuckling— and wincing— Prussia.

" _Kesesese-!_ " the nation wheezed. "Your expression is hilariously awesome, Ruby!  _Kese-_  ow."

Ruby's eye widened in dismay. "Don't laugh if it hurts!" she yelped, zipping over to him and waving her hands frantically. "I'm sorry! Stop laughing!"

Prussia calmed down and took deep breaths, smiling through any pain he felt. "Not to worry, little Rose. I could use a chuckle. I'm fine."

The unsubtle suggestion to not fret over him was ignored as Jaune and Germany came to hover at his other side. Canada did not know why Prussia tried anymore. Since his injury, Ruby, Germany, and Jaune had become a trio of mother hens, orbiting around Prussia like fretful humanoid planets circling an exasperated white sun and springing to his side if he so much as coughed or winced. The nation had preened under the attention at first but his gentle— though increasingly blunt— hints that he was not about to drop dead were becoming increasingly frequent. Yet the three still lingered and worried. Canada just hoped their concern did not count as negativity and attract Grimm.

The twin was just about to sit next to France when a heavy hand landed on his arm. He looked up, meeting Russia's violet eyes, and froze like a deer in the headlights.

The larger nation's smile widened. "May I speak with you, please?"

Nora stood up, blue eyes narrowing.

"Of course." Canada said before the orange-haired girl could reach for her hammer. He locked eyes with her. "It's fine."

Nora slowly sat down, tapping her leg idly as she glared at Russia. Canada could not think of why, only to recall his last 'conversation' with the Russian and wince. He felt the other teens' eyes on him as he followed Russia away from the camp and made a note to talk to them later. He should have known they would not magically forget him stumbling back with a suspicious bruise on his arm. Crap.

_I'll talk to them later. The nations already have a problem with Qrow. We don't need my friends having a problem with Russia as well._

Canada made sure to stay out of arm's reach as he stopped with Russia a few yards into the woods. He crossed his arms over his chest, hoping he did not look too uncomfortable. "What is it?"

"I discovered something quite interesting earlier." Russia informed him with a smile. "However, it also upset me very much. We are allies,  _da_?"

Canada was struck by an unnerving sense of déjà vu. "…Yes." He responded slowly.

Russia kept smiling. "Why did you not awaken my Aura?"

_Are you kidding me?!_  Canada's unease washed away, replaced by irritated anger. "This  _again_? The answer is still no. I'm  _not_  doing it!"

Russia frowned and tipped his head. "What 'again' are you speaking of?"

"Don't play dumb. We already had this conversation." Canada growled. "I haven't changed my mind."

Russia's smile returned, and his eyes were colder than before. "I believe you are mistaken. We have not spoken of Aura and bad allies. If we had, I would have taken time to convince you to assist me."

Canada was not cowed by the threat. Instead if hardened his resolve. "I'm not doing this again."

He made to return to the camp, only for the Russian to grab his arm. Canada whirled to glare at him as the temperature rapidly dropped. The bits of moisture on the leaves turned to frost.

"Let. Go. Of. Me."

Ice latched onto Russia and he flinched, something close to fear flashing through his expression. Then it was gone and his clenched teeth warped into a cold grin.

"I am not finished speaking with you. I request that you unlock my Aura."

Canada glowered at him, hair ruffling as a cold wind started up. "And I told you to  _forget it_!"

Russia released him and crumpled to the ground. Canada stared at him blankly and lurched forward, kneeling beside the fallen nation. Before he could check for a pulse, violet eyes fluttered. Canada hurriedly sprang to his feet, backing away as Russia sat up and looked around.

The taller nation stood up and frowned. "Why are we away from the camp?"

Canada's brain refused to work, instead repeatedly replaying the past few seconds like a broken video. He could not tell whether it was due to panic or confusion. Something prodded at the edge of his mind but could not break through, lost in the loop of  _ohcrapohcrapoh_ _ **shit**_.

"To talk." He blurted.

Russia blinked, head tipping curiously. "About what?"

Alarmed violet eyes darted about and Canada said the first thing he saw. "Snow."

Russia smiled softly. "Yes, it is quite pretty in the sunlight,  _da?_ "

Canada nodded wordlessly. Russia said nothing else, instead wandering back to the camp without another word. Perhaps he thought the conversation was over. Or he forgot Canada was there, like people always did—

Canada froze. His vision shuddered and swayed and it took him a moment to realize he was shaking and maybe hyperventilating. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and his chest felt too tight. Okay, make that  _definitely_ hyperventilating. Hands landed on his shoulders and he flinched, gaze snapping up to meet Qrow's solemn red eyes.

"Calm down." The Huntsman ordered. "Breathe. In and out, kid."

Canada struggled to do as he asked. This was ridiculous. He was not a child. He should not be panicking. Except, if he was right— If he had done what he thought—

Words burst from him, disjointed and strained. "Did you see—? Was that—? I d-don't—"

Qrow grimaced but gently cupped his cheek like a father consoling his child. "Breathe." He commanded.

Canada breathed. Once the roaring in his ears had ceased and he stopped shaking, Qrow finally answered him.

"I don't know, kiddo." The Huntsman grimaced. "And unless you want to test it to find out—"

"I do." Canada choked. "I have to— I  _need_  to know."

He turned on his heel and walked stiffly into the camp, hoping his skin was merely cold and not ashen. His friends all looked at him expectantly, stiffening in concern, but he only had eyes for one person. The twin halted beside France, who frowned at him, worry shining in his blue eyes.

"Matthieu? What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Come with me." Canada pleaded more than demanded.

France silently rose and followed him back into the trees. The nation tensed briefly when he spotted Qrow but willingly stopped beside the man, arms crossed. "What happened?"

The worry— and protectiveness— in his voice made Canada want to throw himself into his big brother's arms so he could hide from all the terrors of the world. Even though he was no longer a colony or a child, the temptation was still strong. He resisted in the end by wrapping his arms around himself and looking at the ground.

"Do you trust me?" he whispered to his shoes.

"Of course." France said.

There was no hesitation. Canada's tenacious hold on his emotions nearly failed but he forced himself to continue on instead of fleeing. He had to  _know_.

"I need to try something." He croaked.

"Okay." France agreed.

Canada reached out and carefully took France's hand. His big brother gave him his hand willingly, giving it a gentle squeeze. Canada's stomach did a flop and he nearly let go but he made himself hang on.

_I need to know._

"Alfred's middle initial stands for Franklin."

Francis blinked, perplexed, and gave a startled chuckle. "Finally, the answer to an age-old question. But what does that have to do with—?"

"Forget this conversation." Canada whispered firmly, looking into his brother's blue eyes.

France's eyes glazed over and his grip on Canada's hand went slack. The twin let the limb fall and for a moment, France did nothing, merely staring blankly into space. Then he shook himself and blinked, smiling at Canada. "Matthieu. Did you need something?"

Canada's mouth went dry.

Qrow swore softly and jabbed France in the arm to gain his attention. "What did he just tell you?"

France scowled at the Huntsman, pulling his throbbing arm closer to his body while his other hand rested on his pistol. "You're so uncouth. And Matthieu did not tell me anything. We just got here."

A hysterical giggle burst from Canada, high-pitched and choking. His brother gathered him into his arms in an instant, confused and ignorant and glaring at Qrow because  _he didn't know he didn't remember—_

"What did you do?" he growled at Qrow, sounding more dangerous than Canada had heard in a while.

The Huntsman was unintimidated. Instead he looked pensive.

"I didn't do anything." He muttered, solemn eyes landing on Canada. " _Damn_ , kid…"

"It's true." Canada burst out before France could try to attack the Huntsman. "He didn't do anything. It was  _me_."

The desire to laugh or maybe cry welled up in his chest, bursting from him in small, gasp-like giggles. Or were they sobs? He let the confused, unaware, manipulated France hold and console him, only his tight hold keeping Canada from crumpling to the ground in a horrified heap.

"What are you talking about, Matthieu?" the Frenchman murmured. "What did you do?"

Swallowing his shock and sadness and fear and  _horror_  as best he could, Canada told him.

"After Westwind, America and I lost our memories. I thought illness did it or the Atleasian Scientists or maybe the nations of Remnant inside us did something. But it wasn't them. It was never them." He croaked. "The thing that erased our memories… was  _my Semblance_.  _I'm_  the reason we forgot everything." He looked at France, tears welling up in his eyes as guilt stabbed at his heart. "It was  _me_."

Neither of his companions spoke. Canada's thoughts went wild. What were they thinking? Were they shocked? Horrified? Disgusted? He could take away memories. He had a Semblance that could mess with people's  _minds_. Like  _Emerald_. What did that say about him as a person?

A loud coughing sound snapped him from his panicked spiral. He, Qrow, and France exchanged glances and rushed back to the campsite. As they emerged, from the foliage they saw Germany at Prussia's side, kneeling beside his brother as he continued coughing. Prussia winced and lowered his hand from his mouth.

His fingers were covered in purple blood.

XXXXXXX

The rain still fell heavily. The grey clouds it spawned from plunged the forest into a false night, making the shadows seem deeper. Alfred's boots sank into the mud and he cringed as wetness seeped into his socks. He shivered, pulling his drenched coat closer to his body but continued his trek eastward. He did not know how long he had been walking or how far he had gotten.

All he could do was hope he was headed somewhere. Preferably anywhere except Kuchinashi. Or Wind Path. Or any of the more criminally-inclined cities. That left one place he remembered that he could go. If only he could remember the exact way there. He had to be near Mistral— the city— right?

Alfred shuddered as icy wetness crept through his coat, freezing him to the bone. If he had not died already he would be more worried about getting hypothermia, but apparently whatever he was could still get sick and feel cold. And hunger. His stomach— which still ached from the echoes of his healed wound— cramped and forced him to an abrupt halt. He bent over, wincing, and took a shuddering breath.

_Just keep walking, Alfred._

He kept walking.

And walking.

And walking.

Through the forest and the mud and the rain, with only the sound of the precipitation to accompany him.

It was so…

_Quiet-lonely-dark-scary-why did they betray me why-stopthinking—_

…wet.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and he grimaced. If his memories were accurate, he could control lightning. Did that make him immune if a bolt struck him? Because it totally would. And he was in mud that was practically water.

Fun.

_Stay positive, Alfred._

He thought about his big brother. England. He had two brothers, apparently. England and the one whose name started with 'M'. 'M', who looked like him. And was dead.

_Happy thoughts, Alfred._

There was a lot to think about but he focused on the good, not the bad. He spent the time— in isolation— walking compiling what he knew for certain. His name was Alfred F. Jones. He was Vale and also America— whatever that was. He had two brothers, one of whom  _had_  to still be alive.

_England can give me answers. I just have to find him._

Except… how could he? Their kind changed when they were reborn. What if England looked nothing like the man from his fractured memories? Remnant was so big and the chances of locating someone he barely remembered were already so low…

_I have to try anyway._

Rain fell.

Mud squelched.

Alfred walked.

It was so cold.

Something behind him  _cracked_  and he jumped, unsheathing Cobalt Striker, backing away as he scanned the dull forest. Nothing leapt from the shadows to attack him and he slowly lowered his weapon, exhaling shakily. It must have been a broken branch. He needed to be more vigilant. These woods were not safe and he could be pursued by bandits or Grimm.

_Or Roman, Mercury, and Neo._

Alfred swallowed roughly and turned around, continuing on his way towards Mistral and civilization. Hopefully.

Rain dripped from his hair and into his eyes, making them sting. He knew they were never his friends, but from his point of view, they were the only people he had. They traveled and talked and laughed together for weeks and yet none of it had been true on their part. He was just a bargaining chip to them.

_What if I was I just a prize to England too?_

He pushed the thought away. England had wanted a family. Sure, he had fought with that other nation over Alfred— America?— but the look on England's face when he called him 'big brother' was proof Alfred was more than something to be won.

Right?

Here, with nothing more to do than think and question, Alfred was not quite so certain anymore.

Shadowy figures prowled through the trees, creeping closer. The outlines of white masks and blood-red eyes emerged from the darkness like demons from hell. Alfred's pace did not falter. It did not even slow. Instead his green and blue eyes narrowed.

_I won't be a victim again._

Mismatched eyes glowed green.

Lightning flashed.

When it cleared, nothing remained of the Grimm but ashes.

Alfred kept walking.

XXXXXXX

"How much further?" Germany demanded.

His voice seemed too loud on the empty path, carrying much further than it logically should have and making it feel like he was broadcasting their location to every enemy in range. In all Canada's travels, a forest had never felt so isolated and endless, the road stretching out in front of the group for miles.

The twin gripped Maple Frost's rifle form tightly, glancing around at the empty grey sky and quiet trees, and stepped just a little closer to the makeshift stretcher that was carrying Prussia. Qrow had donated his cloak to use as a sling without being asked and now stood guard alongside everyone except Germany and France. They were the ones currently carrying the injured nation, who mumbled deliriously under his breath in German.

" _(Ja, Old Fritz.)_ " Prussia was saying to thin air.  _"(Of course I'll do it. I'll make you proud. You'll see. Don't leave yet, please…)_ "

"We still have a long way to go." Qrow admitted, thankfully distracting Canada from Prussia's uncomfortably personal rambles. "There's a mountain between us and Mistral unless you want to go through Kuroyuri—" Canada saw Ren tense up. "— but that place has been abandoned for years. Who knows what we'd attract there."

Prussia jerked, jaw clenched in unvoiced pain. Canada forced his gaze away from the sight, alarmed to see a nation in such a state. What was in Tyrian's tail that could hurt their kind so severely? Italy put a gentle hand on Prussia's forehead, brow furrowed in concern.

"Surely there is a faster way?" he pleaded.

Qrow opened his mouth and paused, nodding sharply. "There is. I can go ahead and get to Mistral, then bring an airship back."

England frowned, but Japan spoke before he could. "You could travel faster alone than with us."

"Yeah." Qrow grunted. "A lot faster."

Germany and France gently set the stretcher down for a moment and the taller blond-haired man turned to face the Huntsman. "And you will bring back help?"

" _Can we trust you to bring help?"_  Canada knew the nation was asking.

Qrow nodded sharply. "I will."

Germany looked at his brother, gently brushing his white hair away from his sweaty face. "Go."

Qrow walked to the front of the group, pausing brief. "Keep heading along the path." He ordered. "I'll be back."

The Huntsman ran into the trees. The remaining travelers took a short breather, or as much as a break as one could take out in the Grimm-filled woods. Canada was just relieved they had not attracted anything nasty yet. After a couple minutes, Germany made to pick up the stretcher again only for Japan to touch his arm.

"You have been carrying him for hours. Perhaps you should let someone take your place for a bit?" the black-haired nation suggested.

"I'll do it!" Italy offered immediately, raising his hand.

Germany blinked, staring blankly as if the words had failed to reach him, but his face softened. "Alright. Danke."

Italy awarded him with a beaming smile. Before he could grab the sticks that served as handles, Prussia stirred, opening glazed red eyes.

"I... Ita…" He blinked lethargically, brow furrowing. "No' s'pose… Feliciano? Is that… you?"

Italy hesitated, then gripped the ill nation's hands. "Yes. It's me. I'm right here, Gilbert."

Prussia blinked again, red eyes filling with tears. To Canada— and Italy's— horror, he began to sob. "I'm sorry." he wept. "I'm so sorry, Italy. He's n-not coming back…"

Italy paled drastically. Prussia's low sobs trailed into silence and Canada realized he was unconscious again. The Italian grabbed the handles to the stretcher before anyone could comment. His eyes stayed on Prussia's slack face.

"Let's keep moving." He said quietly, the order sounding more like a plea.

Jaune slid into France's place and took the other end of the stretcher. No one complained. Together, the two picked up Prussia and the group continued their trek through the lonely woods.

XXXXXXX

Alfred was lost. And he was not simply 'strayed slightly from his path' lost. He was 'I could be on the moon and not know it' lost. After days of walking he had yet to find the roads that led to civilization of any kind. He had tried changing directions, turning around, and doubling back, only to stay in the endless expanse of trees.

Alfred did his best to stay positive— at least it had stopped raining— but the increase in Grimm attacks showed how badly he was failing at keeping a happy mood. The Grimm were usually easy to deal with— rain sucked but lightning was his best friend— but the amnesiac knew it was only a matter of time before his luck ran out. Forget getting to Mistral. Any town would be preferable to the endless woods.

_Should I go to Vale?_

As much as he wanted to, he decided against it. It would take months to return on foot and he had no Lien to pay for anything. He only had his clothes and his weapon… and that was absolutely it.

_It's a good thing I know how to cook squirrel and rabbit. Somehow._

He felt guilty about killing the creatures— they walked right up to him like he was their best friend for God's sake— but after passing out from hunger multiple times he did not have much choice.

It was not all bad though. In the quiet times when thoughts about the past did not try to drag him down and his mind simply drifted, he could feel…  _something_. It was like a magnetic pull, urging him to go westward where he knew Vale was located. It was not quite safety, but familiarity and warmth. He did not belong in Anima, in Mistral's lands. He belonged  _somewhere else_. Was that feeling his people? His land? Could nations like him sense things like that? It was hard to say seeing as how he did not really know what a nation  _was_.

None of that explained the other strange feeling in his chest. The other feeling was similar but… odd. It was equally strong— maybe stronger— than the connection to Vale but it was also distant, like there was more physical space between himself and its source. Alfred honestly had no clue what any of it meant. Hopefully England would know. The amnesiac only had to find him. Or any civilization. Alfred spotted a break in the trees and quickened his pace, tripping over a tree root as he went. He was beginning to understand Roman's annoyance with nature—

_Happy thoughts, Alfred._

He emerged from the trees and squinted at the open area suspiciously. It might be a road. Or it might be a cleared area in the trees with a lot of mud. He cautiously stepped further into the open, gaze darting back and forth. No bandits, Grimm, or 'friends' sprang out to try to murder him and he relaxed slightly.

His hand remained on Cobalt Striker.

Further inspection proved that, yes, this was the road he had been seeking. Now he just needed to choose a direction. Logically, Mistral should be to his east unless he walked past it somehow. So was east right or left? He'd backtracked so many times the past few days he did not know. Alfred glanced at the unhelpful grey sky and bit his lip.

"Eeny—" He pointed left. "Meeny—" He pointed right. "Miny—" Left again. "Moe." He landed on right.

Sending a glare at the sky, Alfred went right. The mud caked onto his already-grimy sneakers with every step and he grimaced, making a mental note to wash them the first chance he got. His clothes were hardly any better but the shoes were the source of a majority of his disgust. He could feel the mud between his  _toes_.

_Ew._

A metallic glint caught his eye and he slowed down, gripping Cobalt Striker tightly in both hands. He spotted the glint again and crept towards it cautiously, mindful of any Grimm or traps. An abandoned bike lay just off the road, its red pain rusted to brown with age. Someone must have been trying— or desperate enough— to try to get to the next town. They didn't make it.

Smothering his guilt, Alfred carefully picked up the bike, hoping the dark splotches were merely rust and not something else. A spot of white attracted his gaze and he saw a Scroll laying in the mud near the bike. Alfred stooped and picked up the device, hope warming his chilled chest.

_I can call someone with this! Maybe they'll give me directions._

He pressed the power button. The screen remained black. Alfred stared at it in silence and laughed bitterly at himself. Of course it would not work. It had laid in the muck for months, maybe years. Technology and mud did not mix. That did not stop his eyes from stinging for unknown reasons. Maybe it was because he was frustrated, or cold, or really, really tired because he just wanted the  _damn_  thing to work for once.

Why did things never work? Was it because of him? Was he the problem? Almost everyone he remembered caring about had betrayed him or was dead. Had he pissed off some God somewhere and they were ensuring he'd always be alone and couldn't even get the chance to  _call a freaking person—_

The Scroll lit up and chimed a few cheerful notes. Alfred jumped, nearly dropping the device. He did drop the bike, which fell over and landed in the mud with a squelch. Alfred did not care, focused purely on the activation screen. The apps loaded and a wide smile stretched across his face.

_It works!_

Alfred laughed, doing a little dance of joy. The Scroll was on  _and_  it had signal. He could call… call…

His smile faded. Who could he call? He did not know England's number or if his brother even had a Scroll. The only friends he remembered had betrayed him and he did not remember their numbers either.

Alfred nibbled on his lip and opened the contacts that were preloaded onto the Scroll. He looked at the numbers and considered calling one just to hear a human voice. Except the person on the other end might think he was the original owner. They would answer the call with shocked joy, only to have their hopes dashed as they realized it was not their missing loved one.

_I can't do that to someone._

Alfred put the Scroll in his pocket. It was useless for now, but maybe he could find England's number somewhere in the future. He could hope, right?

The amnesiac picked the bike back up and perched on it, pushing off with his foot and pedaling. After a few unnervingly loud screeches the mechanisms quieted down, allowing him to push forward without letting everyone in a ten mile radius know he was here. Alfred was quick to decide biking was much better than walking. It was faster, involved less mud in his shoes, and was strangely… calming.

_I've done this before to find peace._

Alfred smiled at the thought. When he found England, they should go biking together. Maybe along a lake, or through a small town. Someplace peaceful, without bandits or Grimm. That would be wonderful. Alfred's contentment fueled him and he pedaled faster, eyes focused on the road ahead.

_I won't give up. I'm going to find you, big bro. I promise._

XXXXXXX

Travel went much more quickly with the bike, which was now Alfred's favorite possession. Though considering he only had his clothes, wallet, weapon, and Scroll other than the bike that was not saying much. He coasted down a hill with little trouble, wheels squeaking slightly, and his heart leapt into his throat.

A town was ahead. Even from this distance he could see it was obviously in ruins.

Alfred slowed down, pressing on the brakes and he squeaked to a halt. He lifted his leg over the bike's seat and stood astride it, walking cautiously towards the town. Again he stopped, peering around like a deer hesitant to come out of cover. In the distance, he could hear the flapping of banners or tarps in the wind, along with the creaks of unlocked gates or shifting wood. He did not hear any footsteps, or people, or any sign of life at all.

_Is that a good thing or a bad thing?_

On the one hand, it meant no people. On the other, it also meant there were probably no Grimm. In fact, there might be no one at all. Alfred swallowed and walked, pulling his bike along. A large slab near the broken columns that used to be an entrance caught his eye and he knelt beside it, brushing off years of mud, vines, and grime to reveal the doomed town's name.

"Kuroyuri." He whispered.

Alfred stood up, gazing at the large, broken cobblestone road ahead. His gaze flicked from ripped cloth to cracked stone to demolished house and he took a breath.

_Well, I found civilization. It's a bit… run-down but it'll be good enough for a night or two. Maybe I can find some food or a map._

He walked deeper into the town, footsteps clicking and the wheels of his bike squeaking loudly. He slowed his pace in an attempt to muffle the sounds but all it did was draw out the bike's high-pitched tones. Exasperated, he lifted it up and carried it, hardly feeling its weight.

_Should have done that earlier._

Since nothing sprang out to attack him, he supposed it did not matter.

Alfred kept walking, carrying Cobalt Striker in his free hand, and cringed as he walked over broken glass, making it crunch under his sneakers. He glanced around but there was still nothing. Only the silence, and the echoes of past horrors that lingered in the air, pressing down on him like a thousand voices screaming in terror.

Alfred shuddered and looked to the sky. There was still plenty of daytime left. Good. He'd have a few hours to scour the place for what he needed and find a suitable shelter without Grimm in it.

_Or bodies._

_Happy thoughts, Alfred._

There was another bike just like his on the side of the road. Alfred wondered if his bike's former passenger had been from here too. Maybe he or she had a sibling or significant other and they had both gotten matching bikes as a gift.

_Maybe they were twins and got matching stuff to mess with people._

For some reason, the thought made him smile. His steps grew more confident, and he looked at his surroundings with a less nervous, more critical eye. He needed a place that was mostly intact. He did not want to test whether he would survive a building collapsing on him or not. Many of the buildings were far from undamaged.

Alfred paused beside a house that was mostly crushed and wondered about the lives that used to live there. A splash of color caught his eye and he crept over the rubble, brushing some aside to reveal a frame. Inside the frame was a picture of a man, woman, and boy with black hair that had a pink streak. The boy looked… familiar.

"He's a ninja." Alfred whispered to himself.

He did not know what the words meant. Perhaps he never would. He spotted an intact countertop and gently set the photo on it, leaning it against the wall. The three family members looked back at him, smiling happily, and Alfred stayed there in silence for a long time. He should say something, right?

"I'm sorry about what happened to you." He began softly. "I… hope that you all found peace, wherever you are."

The words felt mediocre and unsuitable, but they were all he had. He did not know these people. So why did he feel like he should? Why did he feel like he should mourn them?

Alfred shook himself and went back out into the street, heading towards the town's center. The tallest building he could see looked mostly undamaged. He would search for a map and some food that was not rotten and then return there before dark. Tomorrow, he would be gone. He refused to stay in this ghost town any longer than he had to.


	13. Split and Converge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy a double update!

The next morning, Qrow had yet to return. After some consideration, the group decided to take down their camp and continue along the path to Mistral. The trek was long and quiet, and Canada could see his friends struggling to stay optimistic. Italy and Nora were currently having an argument about whether pasta or pancakes were better, but it was obvious they were trying to cheer up the rest of the group when they themselves were struggling.

Germany and Jaune carried Prussia. The red-eyed nation was not getting better, but his condition did not appear to be worsening either. That was both good and bad. Canada would like to chalk up Prussia's lack of regeneration to his odd status as a…  _unique_  type of nation— he represented East Germany  _somehow_ , as far as Canada knew— which might slow his healing factor, but it would not slow it that much. That meant whatever was in Tyrian's tail was preventing him— a nation of Earth— from healing. The enemy having such a poison at their disposal was very not good to say the least and Canada could tell every nation was thinking about it.

Canada trailed at the back of the group, rifle in hand, and scanned them once more. Nora and Italy trying to stay positive. France somber and distant. England scowling and glaring. So many others stern or unsettled, with not even Ruby smiling.

_We're going to attract Grimm._

A low growl nearly made Canada jump out of his skin, but he quickly identified the source of the sound as England. The British nation stalked along the path with an increasingly irate expression, his jaw clenching so tightly Canada was surprised his teeth were not cracking. France noticed England's anger as well and slowed down to walk next to the two, leaning close to the Brit's ear. Canada still heard what his former colonizer had to say.

"You need to calm down, Angleterre." He warned levelly. "Remember where we are."

"I remember." England snapped lowly. "That's the problem.  _Damn_  this world. If we did not need to find Alfred, we could just go home and get Gilbert medical attention."

"We couldn't and you know that. You're the one who said we cannot risk transporting unconscious people, remember?" France reminded him. Canada did not recall such a conversation, but guessed they had it before coming to Remnant.

England's green eyes flicked to Prussia before turning to the ground. He glowered at it like he was trying to set fire to the dirt with his mind alone. "I know."

Anything else he might have said remained unvoiced as Ruby halted in order to allow the three to catch up. Her bright silver eye went from Canada's grim face, to France's tired one, before landing on England's strained expression.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked.

"I'm perfectly fine." England lied through his teeth. "The sooner we get to Mistral, the better."

"It shouldn't be much longer." Ruby said optimistically. "Uncle Qrow should be back with help soon."

"He'd better be." England said stiffly.

Ruby frowned, not pleased by his tone. Then her eyes flicked forward and she gasped. "I see a sign!" She ran ahead, halting in front of the wooden post. "Mistral! We're almost there!"

As the group gathered at the fork in the road, Germany and Jaune carefully set down Prussia's stretcher. Japan peered down the path. His already stoic expression grew grave. "That road goes up the mountain. It is not an easy hike."

"We'll make it." Ren said, staring at the street sign intently. Canada saw his fist clench.

"Ve~ But if the path is along the mountain, won't there be no room for an airship to land?" Italy mentioned. "A gust of wind might make them smash into the rocks too."

Canada's heart sank. The expressions of alarm and horror on the others' faces showed they felt the same.

"W-Well, what about this other town?" Ruby said. She squinted at the crossed-out name on sign. "Kuro— Kuroyuri? It might have a pharmacy."

"There won't be." Ren insisted. Did his voice shake?

"I think that the other town is a good idea." Russia added his two cents. "It will have more than enough room for an airship to land. As for Mistral, well… I am not sure that all of us will make the climb."

His slight smile contrasted unnervingly with his words, though he might actually feel some type of joy at the thought of Prussia dying. Canada knew the white-haired nation hated the Russian. Was the feeling mutual? Germany seemed to think so, for he glowered at Russia from his kneeling position beside his brother. Before he could speak  _Ren_  glared at the largest nation as well, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed in anger.

"We cannot go there.  _We need to press on_." Ren snapped.

Everyone stared at him in silence, startled by the quiet teen's outburst. Ren breathed heavily, shoulders shaking, but Nora put a hand on his arm before he could speak again. She glanced at him, concern obvious on her face, before looking back to the rest.

"I think we should split up." She said.

"No." Jaune said instantly. "We're not separating." He reached out and grabbed Pyrrha's hand. Canada wondered if the move was conscious or not.

"Perhaps we should." Japan said, supporting Nora. His dark eyes flicked from person to person. "Qrow is expecting us to go to Mistral. The airship might be flying over that path. If some of us go along there we can signal them to find the group in Kuroyuri, where they can be picked up."

"I think that's a good idea." England said abruptly. He looked to the teenagers. "You five can go to Mistral. We will go to Kuroyuri."

"Not happening." Jaune said. "You may be able to take care of yourselves but most of you don't have Aura. We won't leave you alone in Grimm territory." He looked at Ren, who stared back neutrally, before lowering his gaze to meet Pyrrha's green eyes. Canada could not say what passed between them, but the red-haired champion nodded.

Jaune grimaced. "We'll split up. Ren, Nora, get to Mistral as fast as you can. Stay in the open in case an airship flies by."

"Feliciano will go with you." Germany said.

Italy flinched, bewilderment and hurt flashing across his features. "Ve~? But why?"

Germany stood and gently put his hands on the Italian's shoulders. "The town might not be safe." he said lowly. "I do not want you to get hurt. Please, go to Mistral with the others."

Italy hesitated but nodded, tears in the corners of his closed eyes.

"Ivan and I will go to Mistral as well." Japan said. He stepped next to Italy, hand on his katana.

Russia beamed. "You are wanting me to come with your group, my comrade? Wonderful."

Japan said nothing, though his dark eyes narrowed slightly, flicking from the large nation to Prussia.

"It's settled then." Ruby said before Canada could ponder Japan's reasons. "Ren, Nora, Ivan, Feliciano, and Kiku will go to Mistral. The rest of us will go to Kuroyuri."

Jaune's displeasure and confliction was clear on his face but he sighed. "Okay." He opened his arms, embracing both Ren and Nora in a fierce hug. "Stay safe."

The knight and Germany picked up the stretcher again. Canada briefly met Ren's eyes and nodded once. The ninja nodded in return, then turned away. Ren, Nora, Italy, Japan, and Russia went right towards the mountains and the main city. Canada, England, Germany, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby, and the unconscious Prussia went left towards the defunct town of Kuroyuri.

They walked through the mud, leaving footprints behind.

None of them noticed the footprints that were already there.

XXXXXXX

As sunlight crept through the cracks of Alfred's shelter, he whined, curling up tighter under the ratty blanket he had scavenged the night before. He felt guilty for using the sheet but it was too cold to sleep without anything covering him. He knew that from recent, personal experience. So he had borrowed the blanket and some other items— like a much-needed bag— from people who were not around to need it and settled on a thin rug in the building he had scouted out for the night.

Despite the coldness and uncomfortableness of the floor, he had somehow managed to sleep. Even now, Alfred did not want to get up and tried to shield his face from the light jabbing at his retinas. The sun persisted and he sighed, sitting up and combing his fingers through his grimy hair. He grimaced.

_I should clean up._

There were likely not any working showers the first source of water he could find would have to do. Alfred stood up, shivering as he got out from beneath his blanket, and stood up. He promptly tripped on the rug he had been sleeping on. The amnesiac fell with a resounding thud, landing hard on his shoulder.

"Ow." He groaned, rubbing the spot.

His cheeks reddened and he glanced around self-consciously, glad no one had been there to see his undignified spill. He planted his hand on the floor, intending to push himself up, and yelped as something jabbed into his palm. Swearing quietly, Alfred shook his aching hand out, flexing his fingers. He glared at the innocent-looking rug accusingly.

_There must be something sharp under there. Good thing I didn't roll on it in my sleep._

Alfred grabbed the edge of the carpet and pulled it aside. His ire instantly vanished. It was not a piece of scrap metal or glass that he had landed on, but a metal ring. Said metal ring connected to what suspiciously looked like a trapdoor.

Alfred chuckled.  _What a classic._

He eagerly pulled the carpet away, revealing the wooden square in the floor. He hooked his fingers around the ring and lifted it. The trapdoor opened with the softest of squeaks despite the years it had been since it was last used. The hinges must be really good. Alfred peered down into the dark space below, struggling not to grin. He knew this was probably just an empty storage room or something, but he could not deny his excitement. He  _loved_  mysteries and a secret basement was among the best.

Alfred carefully tested the first rung on the ladder and— when it did not creak ominously—climbed down into the space. His feet settled on concrete and he squinted into the darkness, spotting square-like shapes. He frowned and turned, patting the wall near the ladder, and was delighted to grab a switch. He flicked it and the lamps along the walls turned on, revealing his surroundings.

Alfred whistled.  _That's a lot of crates._

The large basement was filled with boxes that covered nearly the entire floor. If Alfred laid on top of one, he would have at least another foot of space above his head and below his feet. The amnesiac was tempted to do just that to see if he was right, but that would make him even dirtier than he was before. Except… the crates were not dirty.

The crates were free of dust, unlike everything else in the town. That meant either someone had come down to clean them off or they had been put here recently. Curiosity overwhelmed caution and Alfred opened one of the boxes, revealing its contents. He blinked in surprise before smiling widely and picking up one of the items.

"Comic books?" he whispered, flipping it over to read the back page.

The pamphlet was indeed a graphic novel, depicting the story of some superhero he did not remember. Of all the things he thought he would find in a basement in a destroyed town, comic books certainly were not it. That did not upset Alfred, however. Instead he grinned.

_I_ _**love** _ _comic books! And these must be new issues if they have so many. Sweet._

Alfred read a couple pages and frowned. Apparently the comic was in the middle of an arc. The heroes were apparently trying to save their friend from a mad scientist. Well, that was confusing. The amnesiac looked back at the crate and spotted the previous issue. He hesitated, bouncing from foot to foot. These were products. They belonged to a store of something, and people needed them to make money. But they were in the middle of an empty town, and Alfred really liked comics, and he really wanted to dive into a fantasy world for just a few hours before he was forced to return to harsh reality…

_I'll put them back_ , Alfred decided.

Glancing around, he picked up a few more. Whoever had packed the books had put them in descending order, with the latest issue on top and the previous ones below it. An odd system for sorting, but a helpful one for him. Counting mentally and guessing how many more he'd need, Alfred grinned and lifted a pile. He froze, mouth falling open.

Underneath the comics, the crate was filled with vials of Dust. Alfred set the comic books aside and carefully picked up a vial, scrutinizing the red Dust inside carefully. He put it back and went to another crate, digging through the comic books and revealing blue Dust. Another crate had white Dust. Another had yellow. Another had green. Another had cartridges ready to use. Alfred dragged his gaze to each of the open crates, swallowing thickly.

"Oh shit."

This wasn't a random supply or comic books or a lost collector's horde. It was a criminal stash of some kind. He'd better hurry and get out of here before they came for their illegal products. Alfred scooped up the comics from where he'd deposited them and paused, looking at the Dust vials. The owners of the products were thieves. They had stolen the Dust before. And he was low on ammo…

Alfred set the comics back down and grabbed a couple vials and cartridges from the different boxes before returning the comics to their previous place. The criminals would notice the missing vials but it was only one or two in a couple crates. At the end of the day, they would not care enough to try to find the thief. Hopefully.

Forget relaxing. Alfred needed to move. He carefully wrapped the Dust in a some cloth and stuffed them into his pockets. After scanning the closed crates one more time to see if anything was out of place, he turned off the light and climbed up the ladder, hiding the trapdoor once more. Curiosity prodded at him again and he opened a random door in the building, looking inside. There were more crates. Crates that he had mistakenly believed were empty when he searched the building the night before.

_Yup. Leaving now._

He opened the door and nearly ran into another body. Alfred's mismatched eyes locked with red and he froze, recognizing the girl in front of him in an instant. Green hair, dark skin, white clothes, red eyes. Enemy.

_Emerald. She attacked me with Mercury._

Alfred could not say whether it was shock or terror that paralyzed him, but he found himself unable to move, heart leaping into his throat as it pounded frantically. He did not notice the man with Emerald until he stepped forward, a cruel grin on his face and a weapon at his wrist—

"Tyrian, don't!" Emerald blurted before he could attack. "He might be Vale."

It was a good thing Alfred was too stunned to show any emotion other than shock. He watched numbly as Tyrian paused, lowering his arms, and looked at Emerald with narrowed yellow eyes.

"What do you mean? I thought Matthew Williams was Vale?" he asked coolly.

A part of Alfred was horribly confused. Another part noted the name and wanted to cry. The rest screamed at him to  _move_ or _do something_. He could not act upon any emotion, trapped like he'd been turned into a statue.

"I'm not sure. We just know that one of the twins was Vale. I don't know which one." Emerald said apologetically, not looking directly at Tyrian.

She was acting. Alfred could see through her façade in an instant even if Tyrian seemed unable to. For a single second, the amnesiac thought she was trying to protect him by hiding what she knew. His hopes were dashed when Emerald glanced at him, and his stomach dropped. Her red eyes glinted with a cold, triumphant anger, just like Neo's had when she had betrayed him and left him to die.

There was no longer any doubt in Alfred's mind that Emerald wanted to hurt him. He already knew that from his vague recollection of her attacking him, but it still hurt to have confirmation. Everyone he met— everyone he remembered— betrayed or tried to kill him. Emerald was just another name on a growing list. Alfred was too frozen to crumple in despair.

_Maybe Roman was right._

Tyrian scoffed, crossing his arms casually. He did not appear ready to fight or to try to stop Alfred if he finally regained the ability to move. Or maybe he was that confident that the amnesiac was no threat to him.

"Cinder could not even find out Vale's identity? Even after death she proves she is a disappointment to my Goddess." He sneered.

Emerald's furious glare went to the man and she scowled. "Cinder did not know about the transfer, just like the rest of you." she said testily. "We were unaware the twins were involved back then."

Tyrian hummed and tipped his head, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he considered Alfred. "So he  _could_  be Vale, not the other one."

He grinned psychotically. Alfred's paralysis lost its grip on him and he stumbled back a step. Faster than a blink, Tyrian was upon him, grabbing him from behind in a distorted version of a hug and trapping his arms against his sides. Cobalt Striker fell from his grasp, rolling away, and Alfred struggled, thrashing in his captor's hold. He froze as a stinger pricked his jugular. Tyrian smirked, pressing his stinger just a little more against Alfred's skin and forcing the amnesiac to lean on him in order to avoid being stabbed.

"Well then." Tyrian purred in his ear. "I guess we'll have to give you  _both_  to my Goddess."


	14. Into the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the double update!

Ruby was beginning to understand why Ren did not want to come to Kuroyuri. Instead of a town, it felt like the group trespassed into a graveyard or tomb. No children laughed as they chased each other down the streets. No adults stood by once-pristine— ruined— stalls and gossiped about the latest marriage or baby or scandal. No sellers called to familiar passerby, asking their neighbors if they'd like to sample their latest wares. No people flourished within the broken walls, none at all. There was no life here, the silence in the air and damaged state of the buildings belaying the heaviness of a long-forgotten tragedy.

_Except it isn't forgotten at all. Some people do remember it._ Her gaze unwillingly dragged along the broken homes and other evidence of the shattered lives that were lost here, and a shiver went up her spine.  _Will Beacon look like this one day?_

Ruby pushed those types of thoughts away. They  _would_  reclaim the school from the Grimm someday in the future. They'd defeat the Grimm Dragon and win back their precious Beacon. But that was in the future. For now, they needed to help Gilbert.

"Any sign of them yet?" she asked, raising her eye to the cloudy— and empty— grey sky.

"I think we'd hear them before we spotted them." Arthur said bluntly as he watched her, tone not-quite irritable. Instead he sounded tired, as if the melancholic atmosphere was draining the energy from his limbs.

Ruby held back a wince. "Yeah. You're right. So what do we do? Gilbert is…"

She glanced at the ashen, silent man, taking in his harsh breathing and shuddering frame, then forced her sight away. The next recipient of her focus did not make her feel better. Ludwig could be compared to stone, his entire body rigid from his shoulders to his expression, his jaw so tightly clenched that Ruby would not be surprised to hear his teeth shatter. Despite whatever violent emotion he was holding inside, Ludwig's motions were gentle as he and Francis set Gilbert's stretcher down. The unconscious brother showed no sign of being aware of the change. If his chest were not moving, Ruby might think she was looking at a corpse.

"Let's try to find a pharmacy." Jaune decided. He shielded his eyes, turning in a circle. "Does anyone see one?"

"I honestly can't tell what these buildings are supposed to be." Matthew said heavily.

Ruby's stomach dropped at the exhaustion in his tone. Instead of giving him hope, the town seemed to have torn it all away. Tired violet eyes visibly dulled as Matthew stared at the decrepit buildings, reminding Ruby of her Dad whenever he would talk about Mom. But why would Kuroyuri make Matthew—

Westwind.

_Oh._

Before Ruby could try to comfort Matthew, Arthur's hand clapped onto his shoulder. The twin flinched, brow furrowing as he looked at his brother, but Arthur said nothing, merely giving his arm a light squeeze and letting go. The ghost of a smile crossed Matthew's face and he straightened, a weight falling from his shoulder.

"But we can still try to find one. I say we go into groups of two or three. Don't go too far and if you run into trouble, scream."

"Don't run to help if it's Francis." Arthur added. "He'd be frightened by an insect."

Francis scowled at him, hand dramatically pressed to his heart.

"I'm staying with bruder." Ludwig stated before Francis could say anything.

"I'll stay too." Ruby said instantly.

None of them objected, not even Ludwig. Ruby counted that as a win.

"Okay." Jaune said briefly. "Let's go."

They split into groups, spreading out down separate, crumbled streets. Pyrrha and Jaune went one way, Francis and Arthur went another, and Matthew went alone. Ruby might have protested but after seeing his Semblance, she knew he could take care of himself. Actually, the snowstorm Semblance was Mantle's wasn't it?

_I can't believe he lied about his Semblance and the nations of Remnant._

Ruby sat next to the desolate tree they had laid Gilbert next to and scowled at the ground, mentally smacking herself for her bitterness. Matthew had good reasons for not telling her about being some all-powerful being, one of which was the  _little_  detail that he himself did not remember it. Besides, even if he did, the twins did not know Ruby and the others for that long. They may be friends, but revealing information that world-changing took a lot of trust.

At least they weren't secretly traitors trying to destroy mankind.

"You are upset."

Ruby blinked up at Ludwig. "What? Uh, no. I'm not."

She could not even convince herself, and the man's quirked eyebrow showed how much less she convinced him. Ludwig sat beside her, back straight as he refused to relax against the tree. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Ruby opened her mouth to say no but paused. Ludwig was the one with real, pressing problems and fears to deal with. They were much more potent than hers, and made hers look inconsequential by comparison. But Ruby knew the benefits of a good distraction, any distraction. She always did find it easier to deal with her friends' problems than face her own.

"…Do you want me to?"

"Ja." Ludwig said briefly, confirming her suspicions.

Ruby didn't mind. She could call him out on it, but then she'd be a hypocrite. "Okay. Um…" She unhooked Crescent Rose from her holster and set the weapon in her lap, brushing her fingers on the red metal. "Have you… ever been betrayed by someone you thought was a friend?"

"Many times." The way he said it— so matter-of-factly— made Ruby's heart ache for him.

"I haven't." Ruby said, because they were talking about her problems to distract Ludwig from his, not bringing up his past and making things worse. "Not really. I mean, there were a couple of people back in Signal that pretended to be my friend. It turns out they only hung out with me because they wanted to get a chance with Yang but… There was nothing like with Emerald."

Ruby nearly choked on the name. It clogged her throat like poisoned food, bitter and painful but not hated enough to be spat with anger. Ruby wanted to be angry. She wanted to hate Emerald. Instead there was a hollow emptiness somewhere in her chest.

"She pretended to be our friend—  _my_  friend but it was all a lie. She only got to know us to try to fit in and use us. She made Yang hurt Alfred and Cinder wanted to hurt him, so she must have done it on Cinder's orders, right? Emerald  _works_  for Cinder, who was responsible for everything bad that happened. I want to believe that she was coerced or something but I  _can't_. I don't know Emerald at all. I thought I did but I  _don't_. I don't know her likes or dislikes, or where she's from, or if she has a family. She only asked  _us_  questions and never gave anything back. How many times did she talk to me just to get information from me?"

That was why Emerald asked who was going to be representing Team RWBY in the Tournament. It made so much sense in hindsight, and now Ruby could not help but look back at every interaction she had with Emerald and question them. She wondered what else she had let slip that helped Cinder and her team with their goal. A goal that brought a Huntsmen Academy—Ruby's school— to its knees and caused the deaths of so many people.

_Did Emerald help kill Penny?_

Ruby's remaining eye burned but she did not cry. She cried when Penny died and when Yang pushed her away, but not now. Not in front of Ludwig or anyone. Not over Emerald. Ludwig exhaled, combing his fingers through his blond hair. It was not as neat as usual, with pieces falling forward over his forehead, and the disarrayed locks made him appear younger, less stern.

"I cannot tell you what Emerald was thinking or how willing she was to betray you." He said eventually. "However, rather than focus on false friends, remember your real comrades. Your sister, your team, JNPR, Alfred, Matthew—"

"And you?" she asked.

The slight upward twitch of his lips would not be called a smile on anyone else, but on him it might as well be a beaming grin. "If you wish."

And just like that, the hole in Ruby's chest shrank, just a little bit. She smiled. "Thanks, Ludwig."

"You're welcome."

The sound of running footsteps sent both to their feet, weapons out. Pyrrha appeared around the corner with Jaune at her side, her heeled feet pounding loudly on the cobblestone. Something was in her hands, but before Ruby could identify it, the object was shoved into her face. Ruby's silver eye roamed along the familiar blue baseball bat and her heart skipped a beat.

"I found this in a building." Pyrrha explained rapidly. "Isn't this—?"

"Alfred's weapon." Ludwig confirmed gravely.

It was unmistakably Cobalt Striker, Alfred's beloved pump-action shotgun bayonet-bat. Ruby's heart beat quickened and her skin grew clammy as she stared at the blue baseball bat. If Alfred was here, that meant his captors must be too. Her missing eye itched and she tightened her grip on Crescent Rose, knuckles growing white.

_**Neo…** _

Drawn in by Pyrrha and Jaune's hurried steps, the others returned. Arthur's green eyes landed on Cobalt Striker and he inhaled sharply. His hands twitched but Matthew grabbed the weapon before he could. Violet eyes roamed along the shiny blue surface and Ruby saw the tremor in his hands.

"Matthew…?" she whispered.

The twin swallowed audibly. "He… He was here. He might still be here!" The bat fell to his side as he turned around, desperately scanning the surrounding buildings. "We're so close!"

Francis put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Maybe but maybe not, Matthieu. This could have been laying here for days—"

"You don't know that." Matthew snapped, violet eyes flashing. The temperature dropped and Ruby shivered as it pierced through her cloak. "We need to keep searching. We have time before the airship arrives."

Ruby glanced at Ludiwig and saw he was back at his brother's side. He did not look up or comment, instead brushing his fingers through damp white hair as his lips thinned with some repressed emotion.

"We can look until help comes." Jaune decided. He held up a hand before either of Alfred's brothers could speak. "Don't forget where we are. We're not splitting up again. We'll search for Alfred here, but if we don't find him—"

"Found him~!"

The taunting, sing-song tone sent a shiver up Ruby's spine. The chill only grew more intense as she and the others looked up to see three familiar figures standing atop a building. Her stomach dropped and a shudder went through her, the coldness sinking deeper into her bones when she identified them all. It wasn't Roman, Mercury, and Neo like she—  _hoped feared_ — thought. Instead Tyrian and Emerald stared down at them, weapons drawn.

The Faunus's yellow eyes were alight with excitement, while her ' _friend's_ 'red gaze showed only pure hatred. Ruby almost quailed beneath the utter loathing in Emerald's crimson eyes, and as she watched, the anger trickled outward, making Emerald physically tremble with rage. If there was any hope in Ruby's mind that Emerald was still her friend, it was ripped away in that moment. But the presence of the two enemies was not the thing to make her heartbeat quicken, her muscles coiling with tension and fear as she prepared to attack, but dare not.

Because the third person was Alfred F. Jones… and he looked like he had been through utter hell. The missing twin stood quietly in Tyrian's hold, his posture so lax and unresisting that Ruby may believe he was unaware he was being held hostage with a blade to his throat. Bruises stained the skin under his dull, mismatched eyes, his clothes were covered in dried blood, and his entire aura screamed exhaustion and defeat. Ruby had never seen someone look so tired of it all before, and a glance towards Alfred's horrified brothers' faces told her they had never witnessed it either.

"What did you  _do_  to him?!" The snarled accusation burst from Ruby before she could stop it, cracking through the oppressive, silent air like the sound of a whip.

Tyrian laughed in the face of her fury. "Us? We didn't do anything. We found your missing brother all by himself here, Vale. Then again…" His smile stretched, gaining a dangerous edge. "You might  _not_  be Vale. You might just be a liar."

Matthew twitched. Alfred closed his eyes and said nothing.

Tyrian smirked. "So, what's the truth? Which twin is the winner that gets to meet my beloved goddess?" His grin widened like a shark's. "Think about it before you answer, or I'll just have to take  _both_  of you."

"You will do no such thing!" Arthur snarled, stepping in front of Matthew with his staff pointed threateningly at Tyrian.

Alfred recoiled, dull eyes widening.

Tyrian's smile dropped slightly and he eyed the staff warily. In a blink his grin was back in place. "Now, now. Remember who has the good little hostage here."

He yanked Alfred closer to him. Something dark flashed over the twin's expression but it was gone too quickly to identify.

"You cannot kill him." Francis blurted nervously. He collected himself, shoulders straightening into a relaxed posture Ruby knew was fake. "If you kill him, you could lose Vale."

Tyrian cocked his head. "Is he Vale?"

Francis's face revealed nothing. "Perhaps, perhaps not—"

He winced as Arthur stepped on his foot. "Shut  _up_ , Francis." The green-eyed man hissed.

"Arthur, now is not the time." Francis hissed back, blue eyes never leaving Tyrian. "Let me negotiate."

Arthur turned red. " _Negotiate_? We're not negotiating with them you lily-livered—"

"Francis?" Emerald said, interrupting the irate man. "You are Francis Bonnefoy?"

Francis smiled charmingly. "Why yes, that is my name. How does a lovely lady such as yourself know me?"

Emerald looked to Tyrian. "That one is Vacuo."

Pyrrha froze. Jaune's eyes went wide. Ruby barely withheld a gasp.

Francis's face drained of color. He chuckled nervously. "Pardon moi, mademoiselle, but I believe you are mistaken—"

"Oh, I believe she isn't." Tyrian purred gleefully. "I remember you now! Menagerie told us he ran into a nation during the battle of Beacon. And now you've decided to bring yourself right to me." He giggled and the sound sent gooseflesh up Ruby's arms. "Oh, what a lovely coincidence! My Goddess will be so pleased when I bring  _two_  of the nations to her  _and_  the location of Mistral!"

Francis turned an even paler shade of white. His quivering lips parted but no sound came out. Ruby stepped in front of him, scythe raised and silver eye narrowed.

"You won't be taking  _any_  of them." She vowed.

She pushed down the discontent stirring in her chest at the supposed secret. She wanted to believe that Francis was telling the truth and he was not another personification of Remnant, but she could not dismiss the possibility. After all, two of her friends were already nations. Why not one more to almost complete the set? Either way, Francis had Tyrian's interest now, and she would protect him. And Matthew. And Alfred. And Gilbert, who lay helplessly on the ground with his brother standing steadfast over him. Tyrian was just one guy, but with Emerald there…

Something squeezed in her chest.  _Why did we have to split up? We're so stupid!_

Tyrian laughed. "It's funny that you seem to think you have a choice in the matter. Either Matthew Williams and Francis Bonnefoy come with us willingly…" He brought his blade closer to Alfred's exposed throat. "Or poor Alfred is dead."

Ruby's hands tightened around her weapon. She heard Arthur's jaw clench. In the corner of her eye, she saw Pyrrha tense, green gaze flicking uncertainly between Tyrian and Emerald. They were at a stalemate and they all knew it.

"No."

Ruby barely recognized Alfred's voice. It was low and hoarse, exhausted and dark, almost the complete opposite of the bubbly, loud, cheerful tone she was used to. The look on the twin's face was similarly alien, his mismatched eyes shadowed and glinting with… desperation? Or was that  _anger_? An uneasy feeling settled in Ruby's stomach.

Tyrian blinked at Alfred, eyes glittering with amusement. " _No?_  No, what?"

Alfred looked down at his friends, and for the first time, Ruby realized why his gaze looked so wrong. There was no recognition in his eyes. Not the slightest bit of recollection, as if he were gazing upon strangers and not close siblings and friends. There was a flicker of  _something_  when he looked at Arthur and Matthew, but that emotion was swallowed by something cold and unyielding.

"I won't be a victim again." Alfred stated, voice steady and unwavering.

There was no build up.

There was no time to think or react.

One minute, Alfred's eyes were green and blue.

The next, the pupils and irises were gone, his sclera completely wiped out by glowing green light…

…and the world exploded into lightning and flames.

XXXXXXX

Italy would be lying if he said he was not worried. He was, in fact,  _very_  worried. As the group walked along the thin trail leading up to the peak of the mountain, he lingered in the back with Japan and did his best not to physically droop. Germany and the others would be fine. They had Huntsmen-in-training with them, and Prussia was a nation so he could not actually die, and they were headed to a town so that had to mean the Grimm would leave them alone, right?

It was the group walking through the wilderness that had a greater chance of running into the dark monsters. Italy should be worried about himself, not Germany. And yet he needlessly nibbled on his lip. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, ears peeled for the sound of an airship but wishing to hear steady footsteps. He glanced behind them, secretly hoping a familiar blond head would appear on the ridge. He wished Germany was there to tell him how ridiculous he was being.

Though when Italy thought about his misery more, maybe it was because he missed Germany. That must be the case. But they  _would_  see each other again soon. Germany would keep his promise. He would.

_Unlike Holy Rome…_

Italy's breath hitched. He did not realize he had stopped walking until Japan halted in front of him, one hand resting on his katana.

"Feliciano-kun? Are you alright?" he asked.

Italy absently watched the others go higher up the path before smiling widely. "Oh, of course I am!"

Japan studied his very soul with his dark eyes, the corners of his lips dipping. "Are you certain? You seem a little unhappy."

He had noticed? Italy kept smiling. "Don't worry about me. I'm just a little tired, that's all." He claimed.

Japan frowned, evidently not believing him, but he was too polite to push the issue further. "…If you are sure." He looked behind him, up the path where the others had disappeared. "We should catch up."

Italy nodded, relieved that Japan chose not to continue questioning him. His relief vanished when a shout ripped through the cold mountain air.

" _Ren!_ "

Japan turned on his heel and raced up the trail. Italy ignored his instincts to run in the other direction and followed, staying close to his friend and the katana he carried. Following the direction of Nora's echoing cry, they made it up to a cave. Japan entered without hesitation, and Italy fearfully accompanied him, their footsteps loud and reverberating as they ran into the dark cavern. Japan quickened his pace, darting just ahead of the weaponless Italy, and both nations skidded to a halt next to Russia deep inside the cavern.

Icy water trickled down Italy's spine.

Ren was not hurt. Neither was Nora or Russia. But despite that, Italy now knew exactly what it felt like to accidentally stumble upon a cursed tomb. Swords, arrows, and other weapons were strewn around the cave, coated with or laying in pools of ink-like black blood. Many were broken, but some were in one piece, clearly displaying the blood of the monsters they had failed to slay.

The air was oppressive and unnaturally dank, carrying with it the scent of death and decay. But this cave was not the sight of a long-forgotten massacre. Nor was it an impromptu memorial like Italy briefly hoped. It was the home of a monster. It was a  _Grimm's lair_. Italy lurched forward and picked up one of the swords, gripping it tightly as he scanned empty shadows with terrified eyes.

"Ren-san, what  _is_  this?" Japan asked the ninja that crouched, frozen in the center of the room.

Ren did not respond, continuing to stare at the arrow he held. His hands trembled, and he jerked to his feet, staggering towards the opening of the cave on the other side of the mountain. Nora, Italy, Japan, and Russia followed him, with the pasta-loving nation wanting nothing more than to get out and as far away from the Grimm's cave as possible.

Down below, they could see the forest, the expanse of trees only broken by a single town far in front of them. Italy could only see the vague shapes of buildings, but he knew without being told that the town was Kuroyuri, the place their friends had gone to. The place where Germany was.

A terrible screech tore through the air, making the hairs on Italy's nape rise as terror pooled in his stomach. But his fear was not for himself. Not this time.

In the distance, the trees shuddered and waved, limbs cracking and trunks breaking as a monster stormed through it, attracted to the negativity it sensed. The monster did not care about them. It had a bigger prize. And so it moved away from the intruders in its cave and towards the oblivious travelers far below.

The Grimm was headed to Kuroyuri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to update one or two chapters every day until this catches up to the story on the other site. Sound good?


	15. Sever Their Trust

Kuroyuri burned. Flames devoured all in their path, eagerly eating the dead trees and licking the already-charred buildings as they sought to consume all that remained of the desolate village. Although they had little matter to catch alight, the fire thrived. It raced unnaturally along the walls and roads and covered the sky with smoke. The temperature rose to unbearable levels as black vapors poisoned the air, refusing to falter and unable to stop wreaking the destruction their wielder demanded. But Ruby had more pressing matters to deal with than the smoke burning her eye and her rampaging, distraught friend.

The lightning blast that had shaken the earth and become the ravenous flames knocked Tyrian and Emerald away from Alfred and forced his friends to the ground. As the world stopped shuddering, Ruby looked up and saw the twin back away from his captors, walking unflinchingly into the fire. The instinctive scream that built in her throat died without being voiced when Alfred remained unharmed by the inferno he commanded, wading through it like a man walking through a peaceful stream. Next to Ruby, Matthew forced himself onto his feet, reaching towards his twin.

"Alfred!" he shouted, coughing.

Alfred paused and turned, looking back at them, and when their eyes briefly met, Ruby's heart ached at the lack of recognition there. Movement caught her eye and she instinctively stepped in front of Matthew and blocked Emerald's shots, forcing the slugs harmlessly into the ground. A wild laugh made the hair on her nape rise but Tyrian ignored her and Matthew completely, lunging for Francis. Jaune intercepted the Faunus before he could reach his target, shoving him back and planting himself between the two.

The fire still raged. The humans still fought. Alfred merely stood and watched, as unaffected as a fire elemental as the world burned around him.

Ruby could not afford to care. Emerald emerged from the flames, kicking her aside and slashing at Matthew. The violet-eyed twin parried her strike, foot sliding back into a more sturdy position, and with a swipe of his weapon he sent Emerald flying away with a blast of wind. The gust— though cold— only encouraged the flames around them and they flared higher. Sweat trickled down Ruby's forehead but she ran at Emerald, locking their weapons together as her former friend tried to rise.

"Emerald, stop it!" she shouted, barely hearing herself over the roar of the inferno.

Her former friend said nothing and shoved her away. Ruby saw her flicker but tackled her to the ground before she could move, pinning Emerald beneath her. The tightness in her throat bubbled free and she pressed down as hard as she dared, glaring directly into Emerald's furious red eyes.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you working with Tyrian?" she demanded.

Her former friend did not look at her. But it was not guilt that averted her gaze. Emerald had eyes only for the person who stood behind Ruby, ready to intervene if Emerald tried anything.

"You _killed her_." Emerald choked, tears in her eyes.

The raw grief in her voice weakened Ruby's resolve and she unintentionally lessened the grip she had on her friend. Emerald's fist struck her jaw. Ruby literally did not see it coming and she reeled back, falling sideways as Emerald threw her to the ground. Ruby shook the stars out of her eyes and saw Emerald viciously attacking Matthew, slashes quick but vicious as she kept the twin on the defensive.

On the other side of the fiery street, Tyrian kept Jaune, Pyrrha, and Arthur on the defensive, purposely aiming for Francis and laughing all the while. Ludwig was with his brother, dragging him away from the flames that threatened them as sweat beaded on his brow and his skin reddened from the heat.

Alfred just observed it all, an unnervingly blank expression on his face. Ruby could not identify what little emotion she could see there but it reminded her of her dad on his worst days, of Yang after she'd lost her arm, of Matthew when he realized his brother was missing. It was the face of someone who was lost, who was despairing, and who was  _this close_  to giving up.

It was not right. Alfred did not 'give up'. He was cheerful, and awesome, and a hero. He made the world bright and saved people. Except he did not recognize them. He might  _not_  be Alfred. He might just be Vale.

Ruby refused to believe that. She refused to believe the personification of her Kingdom would be so cruel as to kill her friend's identity. Alfred was in there, somewhere. He just needed to remember that. So she called for him.

"Alfred,  _help us!_ "

Green and blue eyes met hers.

XXXXXXX

Kuroyuri was on fire.

Kuroyuri  _was on fire_.

Horrible memories tried to force themselves into Ren's waking mind but he refused to fall to them, focusing only on the now now  _now_. His friends were in the burning town somewhere. And so was a terrible enemy, one they were completely unaware of. So Ren ignored the roaring flames and burning heat, leaping over a crackling cart and racing into the scorching village.

He could hear the others behind him, Feliciano's nervous breaths the loudest of them all, but he dare not turn back, scanning the area for the Nuckelavee. He saw a struggling body among the flames and Feliciano gasped.

"Ludwig!"

Ludwig barely looked his way. "Help me!" he ordered.

Without hesitation, Feliciano pushed past Ren and through the fire to Ludwig's side. He grabbed the other end of Gilbert's stretcher and lifted it, carrying the unconscious man away from the hungry flames. Kiku darted to Gilbert's side and checked his pulse.

"We need to get him out of here." He said urgently. "Where are the others?"

"They're fighting Tyrian and Emerald. They had Alfred." Ludwig said shortly.

"Alfred is here?" Ivan asked curiously.

"Is he okay?" Nora demanded.

"I don't know." Ludwig stated, voice low with stress. His eyes lingered on his brother's heaving chest, and even through his haze of panic, Ren knew what needed to be done.

"Get Gilbert out of the town." He said. "We will warn the others."

"There's a big, bad Grimm nearby." Feliciano explained before Ludwig could ask. "We need to go."

Ludwig nodded. "Be careful." He said briefly, and he and Feliciano carried Gilbert away.

Ren, Nora, Kiku, and Ivan hurried deeper into the flaming city, grimacing as the smoke grew thicker. Ren could sense the others nearby, their clashes with the enemy like bolts of electricity going up his spine, but before they could reach them, a large figure appeared amidst the smoke. All thoughts of finding his friends vanished, replaced by a chill that sank into his very bones. He saw Nora stiffen and heard Kiku's shocked inhalation.

Ren's body moved before his mind could catch up and he shoved Ivan out of the way of the clawed arm that shot from the smoke, imbedding itself in the stone where the larger man had been. Ren rolled to his feet, poised defensively in front of Ivan as the  _Nuckelavee_  walked out of the smoke, hooved feet clopping on the stones.

Every bit of Ren froze, from his feet to his arms to his mind, his entire being unable to comprehend the nightmare he was finally facing. The nightmare from his childhood, the one that killed his parents, destroyed his home, and took everything from him was here. As he and the others stared at the Grimm, its humanoid fingers twitched. Then it  _shrieked_ , making the very air ripple around them, and galloped towards the frozen humans.

A hand wrapped around Ren's arm, yanking him aside, and a gale slammed into him as the Nuckelavee ran past, its powerful hooves slamming into the cobblestone with a force that could break bone. Kiku crouched beside Ren, normally serene eyes wide with concern— and alarm?— as his grip on Ren's arm tightened.

"Ren-san? What do we do?"

The ninja could not speak. Shock vanished, replaced by a fire in his veins, and his mouth twisted into a snarl.

"Ren-san?" Kiku questioned hesitantly.

Ren ripped his arm from Kiku's grasp, daggers in hand, and ran straight at his hated enemy. He distantly heard Nora call his name, but he ignored her because nothing else mattered. Nothing except the monster that destroyed his home. A furious roar ripped its way from his throat, audible even over the crackle of the flames, and the Nuckelavee screamed in return, meeting the furious Huntsman head on.

Its clawed hand slammed into his stomach, sending him soaring, and he rolled and bounced on the ground, sliding back into a crouched position. He ran forward again, fury pumping through his veins, and barely heard Kiku's shout.

"Ren,  _stop!_ "

He dodged the Nuckelavee's blow, getting a slice in, and the Grimm roared, swatting him away like a fly.

XXXXXXX

Alfred should help them. The people who Tyrian and Emerald had threatened, that is. He should assist them, use the flames roaring around them to fight with them, but Alfred could not find the inclination to do so. Instead he watched as their foes danced around them, the difference in numbers meaning little while they were hindered by Alfred's flames. Alfred should put out the fire. He should step forth and use the anguished rage building inside him to strike Emerald and Tyrian down in an instant.

But he didn't.

He couldn't.

_Rain soaked through his clothes and dripped from his hair and down his neck. His boots sank into the muddy ground, wetness seeping through the weathered leather and causing his toes to go numb. The rain chilled him to the bone, making the weight on his shoulders seem all the more oppressive, but he still stood strong and firm. He knew what he needed to do, for his people and himself. He could not be swayed._

_But that did not mean his heart was unhurt as he stared down the barrel of the rifle held by his big brother._

_England shook as he pointed the gun at him, but his green eyes were dark with a desperate kind of rage. Alfred— No,_ America _knew if he made a wrong move, his beloved brother would shoot him down where he stood._

_How had it come to this?_

_How had he come to face England on opposite sides of this battlefield?_

_How had the loving brother he barely remembered become so determined to keep him from his freedom that he would hold him at gunpoint to stop him?_

Even now, Alfred could not recall. It had been England's position when he pointed his staff at Tyrian— and by extension, Alfred— that triggered the short but poignant memory. A memory that showed yet another person Alfred cared for seeking to harm him.

In hindsight, it had been foolishly naïve for Alfred to believe England would not be like the others. England was also a nation— of that he was certain— and nations cared little for 'family' and 'friendships' in the end. They just saw America as something to be won and controlled. They were just as bad as humans like Roman.

Except…

Maybe…

Alfred watched his brother— his twin brother, his blood brother, his  _real_  brother.  _Matthew_ — lock blades with Emerald. Matthew strained against her, his superior strength forcing her back a step, only for his hockey stick to jerk aside, smacked away by a burst of rose petals.

The girl with the red cloak reappeared from the petals and gasped, recoiling in horror, then lunged forward with a cry as Emerald's sickle glanced off Matthew's shoulder. If not for Aura, Matthew would have lost an arm. Alfred's brother shoved Emerald away, giving himself space, though Alfred noticed him eyeing the red-cloaked girl nervously. He didn't attack her for attacking him, and she appeared regretful and unnerved by her actions. A hallucination-type Semblance, maybe?

Alfred didn't understand what was happening. He didn't know these people. He didn't know their relationships or history or Semblances or anything.

But Matthew was there.

'M' was alive.

His brother.

_Mattie._

Alfred raised his hand and pointed at Emerald. Some sixth sense warned the girl and she threw herself aside, barely avoiding a direct hit as lightning streaked through the sky. As the boom of thunder faded, a terrible shriek pierced the air, making the hair on Alfred's neck stand up.

He looked up, and was dully surprised to see a Nevermore swooping down towards them. The red-cloaked girl and Mattie pointed their weapons at it but Alfred blasted the Grimm from the air, giving them a clear view of a skeleton before it turned into ashes. The red-cloaked girl gaped, while Mattie looked to his twin.

"…Al?" he asked quietly and  _hopefully_.

Alfred looked at him, trying so  _hard_  to remember but no memories were forthcoming. Something twisted in his chest that he had no intention of dealing with so instead he glared at Emerald.

"We're attracting Grimm." He said shortly. "Red-cloak girl, go help the others. We've got this."

Said red-cloaked girl flinched but raised her head, meeting his eyes. One of her silver eyes was gone, its absence covered by an eyepatch, and for some reason Alfred's lungs constricted at the sight.

"I'm Ruby Rose, Alfred. Your friend." She informed him firmly. "I'm glad you're okay."

She vanished into red rose petals, before he could respond, carving through three Beowolves that emerged from the flames and getting a hit in on Tyrian. Alfred returned his glare to Emerald, who glowered not at him, but at Mattie. His twin did not seem to notice. Instead he held out Cobalt Striker and looked at Alfred with the glossy eyes of someone who was trying not to cry.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" he choked.

Alfred's expression did not change. Something deep inside him wept and wailed, but he dare not show it. He could not show weakness to these people. And so Alfred did not respond. Instead he accepted his weapon and dove into the fray, burning through another Beowolf to reach Emerald and shoving her into a building with a burst of flames. Emerald, Tyrian, and the Grimm were the enemy, and that was all that mattered. He could freeze later, cry later, mourn later. For now, he needed to fight against those he  _knew_  were foes.

He would do whatever it took to protect the last hope he had left.

XXXXXXX

Italy flinched as he heard another roar in the distance, the same bone chilling scream that had frightened Ren earlier. He held his sword nervously in front of him and glanced back at Germany, who hovered protectively over Prussia.

"How is he?"

"The same." Germany said in a clipped tone, expression stoic.

Italy knew him well enough to spot the strain and worry he tried to hide, and he briefly lowered his sword, touching Germany's shoulder. The blond-haired nation did not shrug him off or berate him, and Italy bit his lip. The familiar twinge of uselessness yawned in his gut and he turned back to the city, gripping his sword tightly. He could not help Prussia, and if Grimm showed up, he would not be much help in a fight. Germany would have to protect both of them if they were attacked.

The thought made Italy's heart squeeze but he shoved his self-pity away. He had to try to be strong. He could not be afraid. Germany and Prussia needed him to be brave, even though he wanted to find a place to hide. A screech tore through the air, accompanied by the sounds of many running paws, and the oxygen froze in Italy's lungs, making them constrict. Germany swore and rose to his feet, pulling out his dagger and gun, which held laughably few bullets.

"Stay close!" Germany ordered.

Italy went back to back with Germany as he stood protectively over Prussia, showing a calm courage that Italy knew he could not match. The brown-haired nation did not seek to watch Germany's back as much as wish to cower in range of the security Germany provided, his sweaty palms barely keeping hold of his only weapon.

The shadows beneath the tree line wriggled and Grimm spawned from the foliage like monsters straight out of Hell. A majority of the Grimm ran past the two nations, attracted to the frantic battle taking place within the burning town, but a few slowed their steps, growling and hissing as they crept ever-closer.

A Beowolf charged first, and Germany did not waste a bullet, instead stabbing it in the eye with his knife. The creature went down, and the other Grimm took its death as a signal to attack, rushing the two nations. Italy resisted the urge to shut his eyes and swing blindly, old lessons returning as he settled into a sturdier stance.

A Beowolf appeared before him and he jolted into motion, stabbing it in the throat. A Creep was similarly felled, then another Beowolf, and a small Ursa. Italy could not say whether it was fear or long-forgotten strength that kept him going, his terror becoming a distant buzz in the back of his mind as his body acted and reacted, trying to ensure he  _survived_. He could not flee like he so badly wanted too, so he  _had_  to fight.

He was crying, he realized as the tears blurred his vision, but he lashed out at every black shadow in his vision, aware of Germany at his back and Prussia below their feet. Braver people than him would feel their resolve strengthen, their determination to protect their loved ones overcoming their fear, but it was not like that for Italy. He was scared. He was  _so scared_ , for himself, for Prussia, and for Germany, who should not have to rely on cowardly Italy like this.

A  _gigantic_  Ursa loomed over Italy, jaws agape in a terrifying roar that seemed to shake the ground beneath him. It had to be five times the height of a man, and its bone-like claws would go clean through flesh and bone like butter. Paralysis gripped the Italian, turning his arms into noodles. His sword lowered, pointing uselessly at the ground as the monster bore down on him.

Something hit his side, shoving him away, and Italy fell to the earth, yelping as his shoulder struck the dirt. His vision wavered but fear overcame his disorientation, and he looked up in time to see the Ursa's jaws clamp around Germany's waist.

Brown eyes met blue, shock and horror reflected in normally stoic irises, before the Grimm lifted Germany into the air, shaking him like a rag doll. Italy froze, limbs locking in panic, and through the blood pounding in his ears he heard Germany's pained cries. The Italian's thoughts scattered, going to a thousand places and none at all because  _Germany was hurt. It'sgoingtokillhim-runwithhim-_ _ **takehim**_ _—_ _ **HELP HIM!**_

Italy screamed and lunged for the Ursa, swinging his sword in a desperate arc. The attack beheaded the Grimm and its head disintegrated as it fell, releasing Germany. The blond-haired nation crumpled to the ground, bloody and limp, and even though Italy knew he would not die, his terror spiked. His knees buckled at Germany's side and he pressed a hand to the jagged wounds across the nation's stomach and torso, clearly displaying the shape of an impossibly large bite-mark.

Italy dare not release the sword in his other hand and the blade shook in his trembling fingers, useless and weak just like him. Another screech frightened him into motion and he dragged Germany back to Prussia, laying the two brothers beside each other. He could hear more roars and shouts in the distance, some drawing steadily closer, and the sword slipped through his numb fingers.

_I can't do this alone._

Prussia and Germany were unconscious and in dangerous territory, and Italy knew he had no hope of defending them. The Grimm would be attracted to Italy's fear. They would come. They would take Germany and Prussia. The nations would not die, but they would be left to suffer at the monsters' hands. Italy wasn't strong enough to protect them.

He looked at the burning town, where so many of his allies were. His allies, who could be fine or hurt or unconscious or dead in the case of the humans. They were in danger… but Italy would be no help to them in this fight. He was just a liability now, especially if he got Germany and Prussia captured.

Italy knew what he had to do.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, tears pricking at his eyes.

Italy grabbed Germany and Prussia's sleeves with one hand and clutched the pendant at his throat with the other. His fingers clenched, and the gem shattered in his palm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I heard you all like cliffhangers? 
> 
> *runs*


	16. Nothing Remains

It was a normal meeting for the nations of Earth. As normal as a meeting with the wacky personifications of the world could be, anyway. Though, if one were to compare this meeting to others, it might be seen as abnormal considering the one who usually kept them somewhat on track was noticeably not present.

Indeed, it was strange that Germany, England, France, Russia, Japan, Prussia, and Italy were all absent at the same time, but it had happened before so very few nations noticed it. Even fewer thought about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the loud America and quiet Canada many months ago, too caught up in their own countries, lives, and drama to focus on the topic that had been plaguing them and— in some cases— their nightmares almost a year before.

Of them all, only one was aware of where the missing nations were. As he sat in his designated seat, Australia felt a wave of bitterness despite himself. Oh yes, he knew  _everything_  about America and Canada's capture by people from another world. He'd helped locate them and figure out a way to get to them, but here he was in a world meeting instead of kicking arse with England and the others.

But it had to be this way. The transportation magic England used was tricky and aggravatingly specific. The nations had needed a living anchor to get them back to Earth, and as one of the few who knew about the circumstances surrounding America and Canada's disappearance, Australia had volunteered to be the one left behind.

England was their mage and thus had to go; though even if he wasn't they couldn't make him stay behind if they taped him to a chair and locked him in a cellar. France was their suave negotiator. Russia and Germany were their muscle. Japan would sneak around like the ninja he was and get inside places if the need arose. Prussia was just an arse who insisted on going. After much pestering, Italy had gone in case he needed to work his confounding strokes of luck and defuse the situation like he had with the Pict, though truthfully he went because he begged Germany to let him go. So that left Australia to be their anchor back on Earth. Without him, they would not be able to return with the missing North American twins.

So no, Australia would not dismiss the absence of so many nations. And unless England and the others showed up within a few weeks, the nations on Earth would have to notice as well. The deadline for how long the missing nations had given before they would be considered captured or otherwise unable to return was drawing steadily nearer, and Australia could not say he was looking forward to the day he'd have to tell the personifications of Earth the whole truth. The whole situation with that other world was dodgy at best, and as much as Australia was eager to get in a good brawl, no sane nation wanted a war with an alien world.

But that was the future. All Australia could do now was sit in a meeting and idly trace the rim of his cup of water, watching the chaos rather than take part in it for once. Without Germany here to keep the nations under relative control, nothing was getting done, even without the likes of England and France around to argue. Australia was not the image of maturity and seriousness, but he could not help but think of how silly the meeting was. Perhaps it was because he was aware of the threat hanging over them unlike everyone else. He absently reached up and grasped the blue pendant tucked under his shirt. Though that might be a good thing. There was a reason England and the other aware nations had chosen to keep America and Canada's abduction by another world a secret.

_**BOOM** _

A sound akin to a thunderclap shook the ground, accompanied by a blinding flash of green light. Australia's first thought was that a bomb had gone off, but the lack of shrapnel and fire quickly showed the error of that belief. That did not stop many nations from screaming in fear or surprise, the more fearful ones— Romano— pressing against the wall while the more trigger-happy ones— Switzerland— pulled out his guns and stepped in front of Liechtenstein.

The green light faded as quickly as it came and Australia blinked spots out of his eyes, squinting in an attempt to clear his vision. One blink allowed him to see three figures. Two blinks allowed him to recognize them. Three cleared his vision completely, and made a pit open wide in his gut.

"HELP ME!" Italy screamed, supporting a bloody Germany with an equally unconscious Prussia laying limply at his side.

And the no-longer normal meeting exploded into chaos.

XXXXXXX

Ruby clumsily blocked Tyrian's tail, cursing the imbalance of her weapon even as she swung at the Faunus. Tyrian easily dodged her strike, laughing all the while, only to backtrack as Arthur's blast nearly hit him in the face. The blond-haired man pressed the attack, sending bolts of green light at the Faunus like homing missiles, but Tyrian evaded each one, grinning.

Ruby was beginning to despise that grin, wanting nothing more than to wipe the expression off his face. The battle should be simple with her, Arthur, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Francis against one opponent, but it was anything but. The Grimm that stalked through the streets ensured they could not focus solely on their enemy, the smoke in the air was making it difficult to see and breathe, Tyrian kept targeting Francis to make them protect him, and Pyrrha was refusing to use her Semblance for some reason even though Ruby knew she could disarm Tyrian in a second.

She saw Arthur grit his teeth, annoyance clear, but he raised his staff once more, the tip glowing menacingly. Then he flinched, curling over like he'd been struck in the gut. His green eyes widened, pain flaring across his pale features, and his knees buckled, the energy he had been gathering fading like a smothered flame.

Tyrian sprang at the crumpled man but Jaune blocked him, shoving him away with his shield. A Beowolf leaped at the knight's back and Pyrrha's blade sank through its torso, turning it to ashes. Together, the two attacked Tyrian, who blocked their weapons with a grin. Francis ignored the continuing battle and rushed to Arthur's side. Ruby hesitated, but lingered nearby, shooting and slicing through any Grimm that came too close.

"Angleterre? What is wrong?" Francis demanded.

Arthur's reply was so soft Ruby barely heard it. "They're gone." He muttered faintly. "It— Feliciano, Ludwig, and Gilbert. They're _gone_."

Francis's blue eyes went round.

Ruby's heart turned to ice.  _No. It can't be true._

She tried to say something, to offer comfort or sorrow or support, but Arthur shoved Francis away, standing tall even as the color refused to return to his skin. Wordlessly, he blasted Tyrian through a building. Before Arthur could stalk into the crumbling structure, another haunting screech ripped through the air. A body flew out through the flames, nearly striking Francis, and Ruby was horrified to recognize Kiku. Blood trickled down the man's face, dripping over his eye, but he wiped it away, stumbling to his feet.

"Kiku, what—" Francis began.

"No time." He said sharply. "Ren, Nora, and Ivan are facing a large, powerful Grimm. Ren-san is not thinking clearly. He is going to get himself killed!"

Jaune stepped in the direction Kiku had flown from but paused, glancing back at Tyrian.

"Go." Arthur said shortly. "Ruby too. We'll handle Emerald and Tyrian."

"They are here?" Kiku asked, grip tightening on his katana.

"Alfred and Matthew are facing Emerald." Pyrrha explained briefly.

Kiku's unbloodied eye widened. "Alfred-kun?"

"Explanations can come later. Fight now." Arthur snapped. "Ms. Nikos, your abilities would be better utilized against this scorpion wanker."

Pyrrha winced. "I…"

"Are you going to make me describe why?" Arthur asked harshly.

Ruby did not have the heart to be angry at him for his tone. Feliciano, Ludwig, and Gilbert were  _gone_. And if she continued to stand there uselessly, others may follow.

"Come on, Jaune. Let's help Ren, Nora, and Ivan." She said.

Arthur jolted like he'd received an electric shock and his green eyes glazed over. "Ivan's exited this world as well…" he whispered.

Ruby's ribs constricted around her heart and her vision blurred. Jaune faltered, blue eyes clouding, and Ruby could only guess what he was thinking. Pyrrha did not allow him to speak, instead kissing him briefly on the lips before parting.

"Go." She said. "We'll handle this."

Jaune nodded once and he and Ruby ran through the flames. The thuds, gunfire, and screeches of the battle grew louder, and they emerged in time to see Ren slam into the ground, pinned by a skeletal black hand. Ruby put on a burst of speed and slashed the limb, causing the Nuckelavee to scream and release her friend. Ren stumbled to his feet, expression settled into a snarl. Ruby's throat tightened at the sight. She did not know why the stoic Huntsman was so enraged, but anger wouldn't help them now.

It wouldn't bring the people they lost back.

Ruby's right eye  _burned_  but she did not cry. Not here and now.

"You're here. Have you seen Ivan and Kiku?" Nora asked. "They got thrown by the Nuckelavee."

Ruby's hands trembled.

"Arthur said Ivan's gone." Jaune said, voice eerily flat.

Ren did not visibly react.

Nora's eyes widened with shock and sorrow. "And Kiku?"

"We saw him." Jaune assured her, tone clipped. "…Arthur said Ludwig, Feliciano, and Gilbert are gone as well."

Nora gasped. Ren jerked like a puppet, stepping forward but achieving nothing with the movement. Ruby kept her eye on the Nuckelavee, who looked back at her curiously, cautious now that it had been hit.

"Ren, I know you're angry." Jaune said, voice shaking. "I get that. I do. But you need to focus, or we're going to  _lose more people,_   _dammit_!"

Ren flinched. "I-I…"

"Sorry. That was uncalled for." Jaune interjected tightly. His eyes locked on the Nuckelavee, who watched the newcomers with a mixture of wariness and confusion. "Ruby, think you can slice off its arms?"

She blinked away her unshod tears and readied her scythe. "No problem."

XXXXXXX

Canada wished the fire would vanish. Not just because it was making the fight with Emerald more difficult than it needed to be, but because it would prove that his brother was still there. America may be self-centered at times, but he cared deeply at people, and would never use a power that might threaten those he loved. Canada knew his brother would rather put out the flames and keep his friends from being hurt than let them burn unchecked around them.

The violet-eyed twin was not so certain about Vale's priorities. His memories from Mantle told him of a kind-hearted nation who was just as capable of ruthlessness as the rest of them. The end of the Great War was evidence enough of that.

As it was, Canada had to focus part of his power to try to counteract America's fire, using snow and ice in an attempt to put out the furious inferno. That— along with the Grimm milling about and attacking at impromptu moments— was making the fight with Emerald much more difficult than it should be. Even with those handicaps, Emerald was doing considerably well against two nations.

She constantly moved, darting between smoke and flames as she fired at the twins, forcing them to duck beneath cover. America responded by throwing lightning and flames, and if Canada were not so worried about the others burning to a crisp he might have appreciated his brother's attempts to box their elusive enemy in. Or maybe Canada was simply being ineffective because he hated seeing his brother attack so unrelentingly—

_Fight now. Worry whether my twin exists anymore later._

Emerald's furious shouts proved to be a welcome distraction.

"Why?!" she screamed. "Why are you two  _immune_?"

Canada comprehended that she had been attempting to use her Semblance on them. It was nice to know they were still unaffected by her illusions.

_Maybe it's because we're twins. Maybe it's because we're nations of Earth… Or maybe it's because we're nations of two worlds now._

Canada did not voice his theories aloud. He would not give an enemy any type of intel. Instead he fired in the direction of Emerald's voice, forcing her to dash out of cover. Without warning, America grabbed Canada's arm, yanking him aside as a wooden awning fell on their previous position. Cobalt Striker twitched up, blocking a stray shot from someone, and Canada heard Pyrrha shout an apology.

"Sorry!"

Canada glanced at the champion long enough to see her dash in close to Tyrian, flipping her weapon from its rifle form. Her shield flew at the Faunus but he batted it through the wall of a building. Tyrian shoved the champion away with his tail and casually blocked England's strikes, cackling madly. The twin gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to shout at Pyrrha to just use her Semblance to yank his weapons away. It was almost like Pyrrha was afraid to use her Polarity.

… _Oh._

Any thoughts about Penny and Pyrrha were swept away as Canada blocked Emerald's shots. A chain wrapped around his ankle and he was yanked to the ground, dragged across the dirty street to Emerald. She pinned him down with all her weight and her other sickle raised, stabbing down. Again Canada blocked it, the weapons grinding together and sparking. Emerald glared at him, tears still evident in her enraged red eyes.

"You killed her." She snarled. "You killed her.  _You killed her!_ "

America slammed into Emerald's side, forcing her off of Canada. The green-haired girl twisted to her feet, summoning her sickle back to her side with a flick. Eyes never leaving Canada, she ground her teeth before firing a few shots and fleeing into the building.

America led the way across the street and towards their enemy's position, Canada following just a few steps behind. He was completely unprepared for Tyrian to spring at him from the side. Like a rookie who'd never been in battle before, Canada's mind went blank, the rest of the world fading away as his gaze zeroes in on the blades heading towards his throat. His instincts slogged through the paralysis that gripped him and he tried to step back, but he knew it was not nearly fast enough—

Then America was there, between Canada and the Faunus, his eyes glowing green with utter  _fury_. Lightning gathered in Alfred's palms and he slammed them into Tyrian's chest. The Faunus screamed as electricity arched over his frame, accompanied by the telltale flash of his Aura depleting. Tyrian staggered to his feet, limbs twitching from excess electricity, but still he grinned, eyes alit with glee and a lust for battle.

Again he sprang, kicking America aside like nothing. America may be Vale as far as the Faunus knew, but Canada was his target. Canada was the one that previously got away. The violet-eyed nation readied himself, dodging a stab from the tail— a tail filled with poison that could make their kind crumble. The purple appendage wrapped around his wrist, yanking Maple Frost from his hand.

Despite himself, Canada cried out, feeling the bones in his arm bend, close to breaking. Tyrian grabbed his shirt front, pulling him close, and just as Canada smelled the Faunus's rancid breath, his weapon appeared between them, hooking around the scorpion's tail and  _pulled_.

The blade sliced clean through his stinger, severing it from his body. Tyrian screamed as fell to the ground in a spray of blood. The Faunus staggered back, barely avoiding France's awkward swing of Canada's weapon. Like a wounded animal, Tyrian lashed out, and France fell back with a cry, instinctively recoiling when the pincer-like blades struck the area above his heart. They only stopped because of his Aura, which flared a deep blue.

"You  _SON OF A BITCH!_ " Tyrian howled.

Madness in his yellow eyes, he ran at France with a roar, only for Pyrrha to throw him aside. The Faunus staggered to his feet, practically frothing at the mouth, but when he saw Canada, Pyrrha, America, and Japan standing between him and France, some of his sanity returned. He could not win this fight, and he knew it. The Faunus bared his teeth in a snarl, holding his injured tail close.

"She'll forgive you…" Canada heard him whisper.

Tyrian turned tail and ran. Japan and Pyrrha made to give chase, but an Ursa dropped in front of them, cutting them off from their fleeing enemy. Two shots brought the Grimm down, and when its body faded, Tyrian was nowhere to be seen. France relaxed, giving a short laugh, but Canada knew it was not over. He held out his arm, stopping England from entering the building Emerald had fled into.

"Don't. Alfred and I will handle it."

Green eyes blinked, then whipped around to America, who stared back neutrally. England's eyes darted over the other nations, almost too quick to see, then hardened.

"Alfred—"

The Brit went to grab America's arm, only for the other nation to jerk out of his reach. He settled into a balanced stance, Cobalt Striker gripped tightly in both hands.

"Don't touch me." He hissed.

Canada clearly saw the hurt flash through England's eyes before it was covered by a glower. The glare did little to reassure America and lightning flickered at his fingertips.

France stepped between the two nations, palms raised peacefully. "Calm down, Alfred." He said soothingly. "We are friends. This is your brother, remember?"

America did not relax. Instead, his stance only grew more aggressive, his bat ready to be swung with deadly force. "Oh yeah, I  _remember_." Enraged green eyes locked onto England and he snarled. "I clearly  _remember_  you  _pointing a gun at my face._ "

England balked. Canada felt his face drain of color. Of all the things America could recall, it had to be  _that_. It had to be that scene from the final battle of the Revolutionary War, apparently  _without_  context. The violet-eyed twin saw Pyrrha's finger twitch towards the trigger of her weapon, uncertainty flashing across her features as she inched closer to Alfred.

"Arthur? What is he talking about?" she asked nervously.

Alfred's bitter laugh sent chills up Canada's spine. "'Arthur'? Is that your current name? Why doesn't she know your real name,  _England_?" Before any of them could respond, America's laughter changed, broken by something that sounded close to a sob. "Roman was right. I am just a prize to be thrown away." Anguished eyes looked to Canada and all he could see was America's blue. "Did you betray me too?"

"Of course not." Canada said instantly.

Except Mantle definitely had.

Canada struggled not to show that on his face, because he  _wasn't_  lying. He had never betrayed America or Vale. Mantle was the one whose actions had gotten Vale attacked and started this whole mess. Canada had nothing to do with it. America relaxed the slightest bit, and tensed up again when England tried to touch his arm. Cobalt Striker flicked up, her bayonet resting beneath the Brit's chin.

"Try that again and I'll kill you." America hissed, eyes flashing back to green.

The stalemate shattered when Pyrrha gasped, green eyes growing wide. " _JAUNE!_ "

Without warning, she dashed into the building. Canada followed, the others racing just behind. The first floor was empty. Holes littered the wooden planks, showing glimpses of a large room beneath their feet, and Pyrrha's shield lay where it had been thrown by Tyrian, but there was nothing else. Nothing was there to make Pyrrha react with such panic, calling for her partner as she ran into the unknown. Canada met her gaze, noting the confusion there, and she stepped close to him, fingers gripping her weapon so tightly the knuckles were white.

"He was here!" she croaked. "He… He was hurt…"

"Pyrrha…" Canada whispered, just as understanding dawned.

Canada saw her realization just as she turned, falling to one knee. The kusarigama struck the top of her head, tearing her circlet from her hair. Pyrrha cried out in pain, strands of red falling to the ground with her crown. Canada rushed to her side, supporting her as she faltered and shook her head, trying to clear it.

In the doorway, Emerald brought her weapon back to her side. Her red eyes flicked down, to the crates below, and Canada's unwillingly followed her gaze. He realized three things at once.

One: The crates were filled with vials of Dust.

Two: The fires around them could easily make them explode.

And three: Emerald was not content to wait for the flames to send them sky high.

England comprehended the same as he.

"France, NOW!" he shouted.

The Brit seized America's arm, hanging on tight as the amnesiac jolted, trying and failing to break free from his older brother's grasp. France lunged for Canada, latching onto him as his other hand reached for the green pendant at his throat and next to them, Japan copied his movements. On instinct, Canada grabbed Pyrrha—

Emerald raised her gun and fired once.

XXXXXXX

"Come and get me!" Jaune shouted, standing in place as he waved his sword in the air.

A human opponent might be suspicious, but although the Nuckelavee was partially humanoid, it was still Grimm and loved to seek out 'easy' targets. Its arm shot out, stretching unnaturally, and Jaune rolled aside, causing the limb to lodge into the ground. Ruby burst forward with all her speed, scythe trailing behind her, and locked the blade around the thin arm, using her momentum to  _pull_.

The limb sliced off and the Nuckelavee shrieked. It stumbled aside, human-like head gaping at the remaining stump. On cue, Ren fired at the Grimm, springing away as its remaining arm snapped towards him. Nora's hammer slammed down on the hand, pinning it, and Jaune wasted no time in hacking it off with three brutal strokes.

The Nuckelavee screamed again, staggering about like a drunk, and Ruby ran in once more, racing past its hind legs. She sliced through one, cutting the other deeply, and the Nuckelavee's back legs buckled. Crippled, it could not avoid Nora's overhead blow, the horse's head crumpling beneath her hammer.

Missing three limbs, unable to move one, and minus a head, the Nuckelavee could only shriek as Ren approached it. Ruby watched as the ninja calmly took the Nuckelavee's remaining head off. Its body slumped almost anticlimactically turned to smoke. But that was how it should be, because they were Huntsmen and Huntresses, and although it was stronger than many, it was just a Grimm.

Nora laughed, tackling Ren to the ground, but Ruby could not join in the celebrations. The fight was not over yet. Jaune quickly helped his two teammates up.

"Let's help the others."

Flames and smoke shot into the sky and an explosion rocked the earth, sending the four to the ground. Ruby barely heard herself scream over the cacophonic roar that assaulted her ears, the floor shuddering like it's was in the midst of an earthquake. Rubble fell around her but something warm and alive covered her, familiar metal pressing against her shoulders and back. Ruby felt something hit Jaune, the force harsh enough for her to feel it, and she heard him wince. The knight stayed firm, however, shielding his friend as the world fell apart around them, shuddering and writhing like a wounded beast…

Then, it was over.

The shockwaves faded away, leaving a terrible ringing in Ruby's ears and an even worse sinking feeling in her gut. Jaune rolled off of her and unsteadily onto his feet, and she followed suite, catching herself on his arm as she swayed. The knight's mouth moved but she could not hear him over the high-pitched tone. His hands lingered briefly on her shoulders, face twisting in concern.

"—ou…. kay?" She heard.

"I'm fine." Ruby said, voice too loud in her ears.

Her right arm stung a little but other than that she was unharmed. Ruby looked in the direction of the explosion. Thick, black smoke clearly marked where something had blown up, and the yawning emptiness in her gut opened wider as she realized it was where the others had been fighting.

Jaune caught on at the same moment as he. The knight took off, but Ruby was still faster, racing through the flames and lingering Grimm with all her speed. She skidded to a halt in front of the broken husk of what used to be a building. Now there was just a crater. Nothing remained except blackened rubble and ashes. There was nothing there. No evidence. That was good. That meant the instinctive, bad feeling that was keeping her numb was wrong.

The others would show up any second now. They were fine. They were not in the building like she feared. Ruby was simply jumping to conclusions—

A glint caught her eye and Ruby stumbled through the wreckage towards it, digging through a layer of rock and ash to reveal a bent circlet and blackened shield.

"Pyrrha?" she heard herself whisper from far away, like she was floating outside her own body.

Comprehension hit like a Beowolf's claws, digging deep into her soul.

At least one person had been in the building when it exploded.

_Maybe she dropped her weapon and circlet and was outside._

The others were not running towards the blast like she had.

_They're slower than me. They'll show up any second now._

They had not congregated at the spot.

_Any second now. Any second._

They had not come to check to see if anyone had been hurt.

_No one got hurt. They're fine. They're all fine. They're somewhere else in the village, still fighting._

But there were no more sounds of battle, only the growls of lingering Grimm and the crackle of devouring flames.

Which meant—

Which  _meant—_

Pyrrha.  _Intense and graceful as she flew into battle, smiling as she took part in a childish food fight._

Matthew.  _Quiet companionship and ruthless defense, his gentle exterior masking a will stronger than steel when it came to his friends._

Alfred.  _Sunny smiles, contagious laughter, shared exasperation in the antics of their older siblings._

Arthur.  _Gruff care and distant kindness, his aloof façade hiding how much he worried for all of them._

Francis.  _Silly jokes and exaggerated conceitedness, easily knowing when she was upset and needed cheering up._

Kiku.  _Silent but passionate, a constant if quiet presence that would not hesitate to leap into fights to defend those he loved._

Ivan.  _Intimidating and untrustworthy at first, but showed his compassion when he stopped Arthur from attacking her uncle._

Feliciano.  _Cheerful and artistic, always ready to whip up a meal for her if she looked the slightest bit hungry._

Ludwig.  _Emotional stiffness and calm balance, reigning in his more wild friends and readily willing to lend an understanding ear._

Gilbert. _Loud laughter and boisterous claims, his cocky mask hiding a loyal softness when it came to his brother._

_They can't be—_

_They_ _**can't—** _

They were gone. They were  _all_  gone. A majority of their group had been lost in this fight.

And they weren't coming back.

The numbness burned away, replaced by cold and hot and  _fire._  A scream built in Ruby's throat, from her sorrow or the agony originating from her boiling eye, she did not know. Unknown to her, the Grimm— rather than rush towards the anguish they sensed— scrambled away in terror, fleeing for their lives.

Ruby did not notice.

Ruby did not care.

Her heart shattered into pieces, her mind spiraling down into overwhelming grief.

Because Ruby's friends were  _dead_.

So she kept on screaming and screaming and screaming, even as Jaune came upon the devastating scene.

And everything went white.


	17. Welcome to Earth

Alfred was not going down without a fight. Even as England— or 'Arthur' or whatever the hell he was calling himself now— grabbed his arm, the amnesiac fought against him, lightning arcing over his skin and shocking his so-called 'brother'. Yet England gritted his teeth and held on, cracking the stone at his throat, and even as green light enveloped them, Alfred kept struggling, kept  _fighting_.

Something took hold of his navel and  _yanked_ , and the ground beneath his feet disappeared. Every molecule inside his being seemed to waver, his body becoming weightless. Feeling vanished, even the bruising grip of England's hand on his arm and if not for his whirling thoughts and panicked breathing Alfred might believe he had ceased to exist. All he could tell was that they were moving through the light. Normally, the feeling comparable to flight would bring him joy, but now there was only desperation.

He did not know where England was taking him but he had no intention of finding out. It was too bad he could not fight because he could not feel his limbs or use his Semblance or do anything at all. All he could do was soar to England's destination, as helpless as a newborn babe with only his thoughts and feelings to keep him company.

As quickly as the trip began, it ended. The weightlessness ceased and Alfred slammed into something hard, the air in his lungs expelling in a painful whoosh. His forehead bounced off the same unyielding surface— accentuating the ringing in his ears— and a trickle of blood dripped over his left eye. The sticky substance soon sealed his eyelashes together, blinding him on one side. He did not pause to wipe away the blood or even try to open his eyes. Alfred's fingers latched onto the hand he could once again feel around his wrist and he pulled, digging his nails into the soft flesh between the pointer finger and thumb.

England swore, releasing him, and Alfred kicked at him blindly. His foot hit his target and he heard England fall to the floor with a pained wheeze. Any guilt Alfred might have felt was smothered as the ringing stopped, dozens of muffled voices babbling around him. The amnesiac's eyes snapped open to see the source of those shouts gathered around him, more than fifty unfamiliar faces pressing in close as they attempted to talk over each other. Ice clogged Alfred's throat, taking his breath away, and he raised a hand to blast them away with wind or lightning.

England grabbed his arm again, forcing the limb down. "Amer—"

" _DON'T TOUCH ME!_ " Alfred screamed.

He punched England in the gut, scrambling away from him as he desperately searched the room for a familiar face. Red hair caught his eye and he saw the girl from the battle sitting up from her place beside Matthew, a bewildered look on her face. He saw his terror and confusion reflected in her green eyes and Alfred knew he had an ally here.

Like their minds were synchronized, they leapt to their feet, to each other. Her back bumped against his and their weapons readied in unison, prepared to defend themselves and each other against the unknowns that surrounded them.

Pyrrha. That was what Mattie called her.

And a part of Alfred thought of her as a friend.

"Whoa!" yelped one of the strangers, backing up as he eyed the weapons nervously.

"Is that a gun?" a second stranger squeaked.

" _Ahhhhh! He's gone crazy!_ " a third screamed.

"America? What are you doing, aru?" another stranger snapped.

"It appears America wants another fight, da?" A pale blond-haired man asked delightedly.

"Everyone,  _SHUT UP!_ "

Everyone present jumped, all gaping in surprise as Matthew's voice broke through the chaos. Alfred's twin shoved through the crowd of strangers and stood between them and the amnesiac, his red hockey stick gripped tightly in one hand. Some of the tension in Alfred's stomach eased at the sight. Pyrrha was not his only indisputable ally here.

"I know you're confused, but Alf—…America needs medical attention. We'll explain  _later_." Matthew's unyielding tone left no room for argument. His glare discouraged any protests even more.

The strangers obediently backed off, leaving those that came back with Alfred— the black-haired man and the other blond, 'France'?— around him and Pyrrha. The two exchanged a glance and stepped closer to the twins like guards. Pyrrha's hands twitched but she kept her silence, and their bodyguards did the same. Seeing their closed ranks around him made Alfred's stomach twist into knots again but at the same time… it didn't.

He trusted them.

Partially.

Maybe.

But he couldn't. Not again. Not with nothing to prove it  _not after_ —

His head hurt.

Matthew gently grasped his arm, his light touch so different from England's bruising grip. "This way, America, Pyrrha."

Alfred glanced at the red-haired girl, who nodded back mutely, and allowed himself to be lead out of the room. He felt the eyes of all of the strangers piercing his back as he left. To his dismay, England and the disconcerting blond-haired man did not join those who had retreated, instead following them out and hovering just far away enough that Alfred could not protest without letting them know they were making him uncomfortable. He tried his best to watch them subtly, a task only made more difficult due to his sealed left eye. The amnesiac's concerns about them were deprioritized when one of the other strangers stepped up to Matthew's side. The stranger soon found Cobalt Striker's bayonet an inch from his nose.

"Crikey!" he yelped, raising his hands. "You're mad as a cut snake, aren't ya? Calm down. I'm a friend."

The exasperated tone he used with the last sentence— and on that last  _damned_  word— did nothing to reassure Alfred. The amnesiac's unbloodied eye narrowed to a slit. " _Are_  you?"

The man stared at him, jaw dropping open. His pale green eyes flicked uncertainly from Alfred to England, and if the amnesiac were less angry he might feel guilty for putting that dismayed look on the stranger's face. "What…?"

"Later." Matthew insisted again. "Australia, where's Italy, Germany, and Prussia?"

"In the infirmary." The stranger— Australia— replied. "Last I knew the brothers are still conked out. They were bloody mess when they showed up— literally." He glanced at Pyrrha and Alfred and his voice lowered, but the amnesiac heard his next words anyway. "Germany had this huge bite on his stomach and was missing an arm and they think Prussia got some internal damage."

"They were  _unconscious_  when they were transferred?!" England demanded. At Australia's nod, he let out a string of curses. "That bloody  _idiot_ , Italy! I  _warned_  him not to use the pendant if anyone was like that. Unconscious people cannot be transported safely. I  _told_  him that repeatedly!"

Pyrrha halted in the middle of the hall, causing the tall violet-eyed stranger to slam into her. The red-haired girl staggered and Alfred launched himself her way, shoving the man away from her.

"Stay back!" he hissed.

The man grinned unsettlingly, purple eyes glinting, and Alfred's defenses rose in response, lightning flickering between his fingers. A low scraping sound reached his ears and he swore that one of the metal benches along the wall had moved. Matthew's hand landed on the stranger's arm, his own violet eyes glowing warningly.

"Stop that." He looked to Alfred. "America—"

"Don't 'America' me." Alfred snapped, wishing his voice wasn't shaking. "What the hell is this? What is this place? What is going on?  _Who_   _are_   _you people?!_ "

Matthew's expression crumpled but he put on a brave face. Alfred saw through his façade easily but shoved aside his guilt. He wanted answers, and he wanted them  _now_.

"We're nations, Amérique." France answered for Alfred's struggling brother. His gaze drifted to Pyrrha before dropping. "But not nations of Remnant. We are the physical representations of nations of a planet known as Earth. Our home.  _Your_  home."

Alfred— America? Vale? Amérique?— swallowed roughly. For some reason, his eyes were stinging, and his heart felt like a lump of ice in his chest. When he spoke, his voice sounded young and broken, even to himself. "I  _don't understand_."

"We will explain. I promise." Matthew—  _Is that even his real name?_ — reassured him. His brother hesitated briefly and then wrapped his arms around Alfred, squeezing him tightly. "Just know that you're home."

For a moment, Alfred let himself be vulnerable, and pressed his aching forehead against his brother's shoulder, somehow avoiding wetting his shirt with tears.

"This is a different world?"

Pyrrha's faint voice broke him out of his confusion and misery, and he looked up to see his own shock and bewilderment reflected again in her eyes. Her weapon was back in her hands but rather than hold the javelin offensively, she held it close to her chest like a shield, her posture reminding him of a child gripping a security blanket. Her shoulders hunched, quivering slightly, but she met Matthew's apologetic gaze steadily.

"I'm on a  _different world?_ "

A glimpse of the others showed Alfred that none of the strangers— the nations of Earth— could meet her eyes.

"Yes." Matthew whispered. "Welcome to Earth."

Pyrrha stared at him mutely. Without warning, she crumpled to her knees, weapon clattering to the floor. Alfred was at her side in an instant, hands fluttering uselessly, but he was unsurprised to see it was not an unknown wound that felled her. Only he could see the tears dripping down her cheeks, her head tilted so her 'friends' could not witness her sorrow.

"Jaune… my friends… my family… my home…" she choked.

"I'm sure they are alright." France tried to reassure her, his tone suggesting he was not certain if his condolences would be welcome.

Pyrrha did not respond to him at all, but the added tension in her shoulders told Alfred she heard. Despite not remembering her, Alfred's instincts told him what to do, and he wrapped her in a secure hug much like Matthew had before. She leaned into his grasp, eyes swimming with more tears, but she did not break down in front of those she was not sure she could trust anymore. Alfred could relate.

Thankfully, none of the others tried to approach or console the two, not even Matthew. For that, Alfred was unrepentantly grateful. He could not trust anyone on sight anymore, except this girl and the violet-eyed brother he should remember. Once Pyrrha composed herself, she let Alfred help her up. Her green eyes locked with England's and hardened, and Alfred was once again reminded that she was a warrior— a  _champion_ — not just a teenaged girl.

"You will explain everything." She stated. "No more lies."

England glanced at Alfred and away. "No more lies." he agreed.

Pyrrha's chin jerked upward, her clenched jaw daring him to contradict his promise. "Can you get me home?"

England's glare dropped first. "I… don't know."

Pyrrha remained outwardly unaffected, but Alfred knew something inside her crumbled at the news. He knew, because he felt something inside himself shatter as he was told he might be unable to return to Remnant.

Alfred still had amnesia, but he knew some things.

His name was Alfred F. Jones.

He was Vale and America— whatever that meant.

His weapon was Cobalt Striker.

He could control the weather and fire.

His 'friends' Roman, Mercury, and Neo had betrayed him, the final one twice.

His brother Matthew and ally— friend?— Pyrrha could be trusted.

His 'brother' England could not.

He was now on 'Earth'.

And he might never return to Remnant.

Even as a part of him sang at the news, echoes of feelings from forgotten memories prodding at the edge of his consciousness, another part of him felt numb, his loss turning his heart to ice.

Alfred still had amnesia.

He knew some things.

One of which was a bitter truth that had been haunting his subconscious mind until now.

_I don't belong anywhere anymore._

XXXXXXX

Jaune Arc did not have any tears left to shed. His tear ducts did not understand that, and insisted continuing to burn his already red-rimmed eyes. The knight leaned against the footboard of the bed Ruby Rose laid in and stared at the ceiling, ignoring the aching in his spine and tailbone from sitting in the same position for so long. He had not moved much in the past few days, ever since Pyr— since Pyrrha and the others were—… since they stopped searching Kuroyuri, and could not be bothered to change that.

Qrow had arrived in the airship after the battle was over, too late to help anyone. The Grimm were gone, and Emerald and Tyrian with them. The two non-Grimm enemies might be dead or alive. There was no way to tell. The explosion had practically vaporized almost everything in the vicinity, leaving only ashes and small bits of rubble.

And Pyrrha's circlet and shield.

Jaune's fingers tightened around Akoúo̱ and Pyrrha's crown, the metal still partially blackened from the explosion. An explosion she and the remainder of Matthew's friends had been caught up in. At first, Jaune had joined Qrow, Nora, and Ren in returning to Kuroyuri to search for their missing companions— Maybe they'd escaped. Maybe they were in the town somewhere else. Maybe they were alive. Maybe, maybe, maybe  _please please_ _ **please**_ — but after a week of looking, Qrow had informed them that the airship pilots would no longer take them back there.

None of them had wanted to stop looking. They knew if they stopped, then that meant there was no one to find. Jaune, Nora, and even the usually calm Ren had argued, had protested, had insisted they'd stay behind and continue to search, only for Qrow to say what they all did not want to believe.

" _Your friends are dead."_

A piece of Jaune had been torn away then, one he would never get back. It died with Qrow's blunt statement, just like Pyrrha and everyone else they lost in that cursed town. Nora had broken down in Kuroyuri's burnt streets, Ren had tried to comfort her while keeping his own emotions in check, and Jaune… he'd felt nothing.

It was only later, as he sat at the still-unconscious Ruby's bedside that he understood reality and grief took hold. Now he had no tears left. Only sorrow… and a smoldering rage that burned like fire in his chest.

The door to Ruby's room squeaked open and Jaune looked at it, the rage flaring in his chest like a monster's roar. The source of his fury looked down at him, unimpressed, and took a swig from his flask.

"Hey, kid. Any changes?" Qrow asked.

Jaune looked at the man's legs so he did not have to look at his face. "None. She's still unconscious."

"Thought so." He heard Qrow grunt as he settled in a chair at his niece's bedside. "There's more than one seat here, kid. That looks pretty uncomfortable where you are."

_I'm between Ruby and the door,_  Jaune thought. "I'm fine."

"Suit yourself." Qrow said lazily.

The metal of Pyrrha's circlet bit into Jaune's palm. He exhaled and pried his fingers away, unwilling to risk accidentally breaking the precious metal. That and her shield was all—

It was all he had left of—

It was a struggle not to stand up and punch Qrow in his unbothered face. Jaune knew that the man was worried about his niece somewhere, but his lack of tact and openness was starting to get under Jaune's skin. Then again, it had bothered the knight ever since he was first sat down and told about important things like  _nations_  and  _Relics_.

The logical part of Jaune knew he was projecting his grief into anger and seeking someone he could blame along with himself. The rest of Jaune had enough and told that logical, unfeeling part to go screw itself.

"What was that, anyway?" Jaune asked, voice surprisingly level.

Qrow took a swig from his flask. "What was what?"

A gloved fist slammed into the floor, making it shudder and crack. Ruby did not startle awake at the noise, sleeping on. Blue eyes whipped around to glare at the Huntsman.

" _Don't_." Jaune snarled. "You know  _exactly_  what I'm talking about! What did Ruby do? Her eye  _glowed_  and the light  _destroyed_  all the Grimm in the area."

_If Jaune were not seeing the phenomenon with his own eyes, he might never believe it. But he did see. He had come upon the site of the explosion to find Ruby screaming in agony, white light bursting from her remaining eye like a giant wing. As soon as it touched the Grimm that fled it, they turned to dust, leaving no remains. The sight awed Jaune as much as it horrified him, and although some part of him comprehended what could awaken such a power in Ruby, he still rushed to her side, trying to do something,_ anything _to reach her and stop her pain._

_By the time Jaune made it to her, Ruby stopped screaming, eye slipping closed as the silver light snuffed out. She collapsed bonelessly in his arms, head lolling like a broken doll, and a familiar circlet and shield dropped from her fingers with a clatter. Before Jaune could panic or check for a pulse or understand and_ _**scream** _ _, running footsteps sent him lurching to his feet with his friend gripped tightly in his arms. Qrow ran into view, too late to do anything but drop his gaze to his unconscious niece. His expression twisted before growing neutral, and he held out his arms._

" _Give her here."_

_Jaune did as he asked without question and Qrow held his niece to his chest, gently brushing her hair away from her pale face._

" _The airship's here." Qrow said briskly. "Get the others and we're leaving."_

_Ren and Nora chose that moment to arrive. One look at their worried faces told Jaune what he already knew. They had been unable to locate anyone else._

_Nora spoke, tone low with stress. "We can't go yet! We have to find the other…"_

_Her gaze dropped to the circlet and widened. Ren's arm whipped out and he gripped hers tightly. A line in his jaw quivered, and for just a second, Jaune could see the sorrow there. Ren held himself together, and possibly Nora too if he was using his Semblance like Jaune suspected. The knight considered gripping the ninja's other hand to ask for the same numbness, but it had already taken hold of his heart, leaving him feeling like a ghost trapped outside of his body._

" _Not here." Qrow said sharply, yanking Jaune back into his body. "It's not safe. We need to_ _ **move**_ _."_

_His tone was sharp and commanding, and they instinctively obeyed, wishing for a seasoned veteran to give them some semblance of normalcy and direction. As the remaining three conscious teenagers, the uncle, and his unconscious niece crowded into the airship, Jaune risked a glance at Qrow's face. Red eyes never drifted from Ruby's limp form, the tightness in his jaw suggesting underlying sorrow barely kept under wraps. But there was not just sadness. There was also… acceptance._

_Qrow was not surprised by what had happened._

_Not in the slightest._

_He_ _**knew** _ _._

Qrow lowered his flask. "You don't need to know, kid."

Blue eyes turned to ice. "So you're going to pull that card, huh? My girlfriend is dead, more than half of my friends are dead, another friend is in a coma, and I still  _'DON'T NEED TO KNOW'?!_ "

Qrow did not quail beneath his bellowed rage. Nor did he try to pull rank over the rookie Huntsman to command him to let it go. A distant piece of Jaune was relieved, because if the man had tried to dismiss him with orders, he might truly grow to hate Ruby's uncle.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you anything more, kid. It's not my call to make." Qrow peered out the window briefly before settling back in his chair. "With any luck, the guy who  _can_  give you answers should show up soon. Just wait a little longer."

Jaune stood up abruptly, his full height allowing him to glare down at the sitting Huntsman. Again, his fingers squeezed all that he had left of Pyrrha, the blackened circlet threatening to bend and break in his palm. The knight could not make himself let go.

"I'm  _done_  waiting." He spat.

Jaune stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him as he stalked out of the hotel and into Mistral's busy streets. He had no destination in mind, but he knew he could not stay the unforthcoming, lying Huntsman any longer.

If Qrow was going to keep more secrets, fine.

Jaune would find the answers himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to say I'll be going even further off from RWBY canon in the next book. Obviously since Neo/Mistral is in place of 'Spring', a lot of things are going to be very different than Volume 5. Plus now I get to do more with the Hetalia side of things. Yay!
> 
> The first chapter of the next book will be up tomorrow.
> 
> I'll put the FAQ section in the comments again.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me say something right here in case you didn't look at the character list too closely. If you do, you'll notice that Yang, Blake, and Weiss are not on it. That's because they won't be in this story. None of the nations are with them, so their stories would be exactly the same as canon Volume 4. Because of that, I'm not going to write them. I'm just going to write America, Ruby, and Canada's (etc.) groups. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.
> 
> Something else to note: This story was completely planned and mostly written before RWBY Volume 5 came out. That means this story was unaffected by anything that happened/revealed in Volume 5, except perhaps a few small things.


End file.
